Beating The Odds
by xxComplicated
Summary: A Joey and Charlie storyline following the kiss.
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1 THE WAY IT FEELS

Joey inched her way into Charlie's bedroom, careful not to be too hasty. Charlie sat on the edge of her bed, tears staining her face. The day's mascara had smudged across her cheeks and trickled down her face like charcoal being caught in the rain.

"Charlie?" Joey's voice was almost a whisper.

There was no answer. Charlie wanted to tell her to leave but deep down she knew she wanted her to stay.

"Are you okay?" Joey took a few steps closer until she was within reaching distance. She longed to feel Charlie's skin and almost reached out to touch her before realising it was not the time.

"I'm fine." It was the most un-convincing statement Joey had ever heard but she didn't protest against it.

"We were going to talk. You didn't show up for lunch."

The night was getting on and Charlie had been through a long day. Not just at work but with a collection of thoughts and feelings racing around in her head. She wasn't ready to talk and wished Joey would lay off.

"It's been a long day, Joey. Can we do this tomorrow?"

"Can you stop avoiding me?" Joey snapped and then instantly regretted it. "I just need to know where I stand."

Charlie turned her head so she had Joey in full view. The first time she'd looked at her and Joey immediately saw the state she was in.

"I'm confused…" Charlie confessed, knowing full well that this was not an excuse.

"You're confused? What about me? I don't know what the hell is going on in your head because you won't let me in! You won't give me anything!" Joey didn't realise her voice raise but this time she didn't care. She was sick of always being shunned whenever she wanted to talk. She just wanted to understand. To know what was happening and where she stood in it all.

"That's because I'm ashamed!" Charlie admitted and then wished she could take it back. She wasn't ready to admit anything. That one statement seemed to reveal so much that Charlie almost felt like her heart was sitting on the bed next to her. Exposed and obvious.

Joey sat down beside her, close enough so that they were touching. Charlie knew the exuberance she felt was wrong but she didn't want to move.

Joey leant forward and looked Charlie in the eyes. She slid her hand onto Charlie's thigh and gave a little smile. "It's okay."

The tone and support that one little sentence held was almost convincing enough for Charlie. She almost gave in to everything. She almost placed her hand on top of Joey's. She almost gave the first smile of the day. She almost cracked. Almost.

"It's not." Charlie brushed Joey's hand off and moved over to the window, facing away. She put her hand to her head and cursed herself for almost giving in. She had to be strong. That was the only way to get rid of this entire situation.

_I like men_. Charlie told herself. _This is ridiculous. I don't have feelings for Joey. I'm not a lesbian._

Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt Joey's presence behind her. She could feel how close she was and it made everything else seem inferior.

"You know… I never asked to fall in love with you. I never in a million years expected this to happen. But it did and I'm sorry, Charlie. I know you're confused and you want all of this to go away. I don't want to pressure you but Charlie… if there's nothing there _tell me_. Say you don't feel anything and I'll leave. I promise."

Charlie remained silent. She could tell her she feels nothing and things could go back to normal. She could see Hugo again and with Joey out of the picture, there may just be a chance something could happen.

"But there is something, isn't there? I know there is."

Charlie turned around. Joey was closer than she expected. She steadied eye contact and found herself unable to look away. Her eyes were deep and intense. She could get lost in them.

"Come on, Charlie…" Joey was pleading. She wished Charlie didn't make this so difficult. Joey slid her hand down Charlie's arm softly and then took her hand, holding it loosely so Charlie could resist if she wanted. Charlie swallowed hard. She wasn't meant to be feeling these things. She looked down and squeezed Joey's hand; their fingers interlocking.

"Charlie, tell me what you feel. _Please_…"

Charlie bit her lip. "I'm sorry I kissed you. It was a mistake… And I'm sorry I gave you false signals. This whole thing is a complete misunderstanding."

"You know that's not true." Joey felt Charlie's hand retract.

"It is. You should go."

"Charlie, don't do this…"

"I said go."

Joey took a step back. "I'm not giving up on this. I've never felt so strongly about _anyone_ before. You're everything I could ask for. You make me happy, Charlie. Happier then I've been in a long time. Are you really going to throw away what we have because you're scared? Are you sure you're prepared to let me go because you're worried about what people are going to say or think? If that's the case then you're gutless."

Charlie looked away. She was gutless. Joey was right about everything. She didn't want people to talk. She didn't want to be judged. She knew the longer she denied her feelings, the harder it was going to be.

Joey waited a moment before leaving the room. Charlie collapsed on the bed, a tear escaping and trickling down her cheek. She was glad Ruby was staying over at Annie's tonight as she didn't want her to sense something was wrong. She didn't feel like being interrogated. She just wanted to switch off. She wanted to switch off everything.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2 BUSTED

The next morning Charlie couldn't face work. She'd called in sick and stayed in bed until late. She hadn't had much sleep as she knew Joey was in the room next door and this invaded her thoughts every time she could've drifted off. She'd heard Leah and VJ leave earlier and knew Joey was still in the house. This forced her to stay in bed.

By midday there was a knock on Charlie's bedroom door. She didn't answer.

"Charlie? Are you awake?"

The door slowly opened and Joey stepped in. She brought in some coffee and set it down on the beside table.

"Did the fact that I might want privacy not cross your mind?" Charlie had her back to Joey and spat out the words into her pillow.

"I want to apologise."

After a moment Charlie rolled over. Joey was leaning on the door handle, cleverly keeping her distance.

Charlie sighed. "You don't have to apologise…"

"No, I do. I should never have pressured you. I understand where you're coming from and I'm sorry. I'll drop it."

Charlie nodded.

"Anyway. I've decided to leave Summer Bay. A guy who owns a trawler down at Yabby Creek has offered me a position on his boat. I don't have any reason to stay here anymore… I figure I may as well take it."

Charlie's face fell the second Joey said she was leaving. Had she really fallen for her _that_ bad? She took a moment to process what Joey was saying.

"Surely you can get your old job back," suggested Charlie.

"That's the thing. I don't _want_ it back. What Robbo did to me…" Joey choked back tears. "I just couldn't do it."

"Surely you don't have to move though." Charlie was trying everything. She didn't know what she was even doing. She was begging Joey to stay but for what? She couldn't let anything happen. She just couldn't. However, things just seemed so _complete_ when Joey was around.

"I can't do this Charlie! I can't be around you; I can't see you without wanting more! _It's just too hard!_" Tears escaped Joey's eyes.

"Can't we even be friends?" Charlie was pleading now. She was running out of options.

"Why do you want me to stay?" Joey choked. "I can't be friends with you if I only ever want _more_!"

Charlie took a deep breath. Life was about risks, right? Clearly she wasn't having luck with guys so why shouldn't she take a gamble? Why should she deny her feelings just because she was afraid of being judged?

"Because you're right, Joey."

Joey paused.

"I don't know when or why or how I got these feelings for you but I did. I am gutless, you're right. I'm scared what people will think of me because I don't even know where these feelings came from. I've never felt like this before…"

Joey was speechless. She hadn't expected Charlie to spill like this. She knew there was _something_ but she didn't think that Charlie would admit to them anymore.

"I don't want you to leave…" Charlie whispered.

Joey smiled and sat down beside Charlie. She stroked Charlie's cheek and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

"Are you sure?"

Charlie nodded but her body language showed Joey that she was still hesitant.

"It's okay. Really." Joey reassured her. She leaned in slowly and brushed her lips lightly against Charlie's. When Charlie responded Joey closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment.

"What the hell are you doing?"

The two parted simultaneously and looked into the shocked face of Ruby.

"Were you just–"

"Ruby…" Charlie jumped up, her face flushed with shame. She grabbed her sister by the arm and pulled her into the kitchen.

"Aren't you meant to be at school?"

"I have a lunch break. What the hell was that?"

"It's not what it looks like…" Charlie tried to defend herself but couldn't deny what Ruby had just witnessed. She rubbed her neck nervously and couldn't bear to look into the eyes of her sister.

"Then tell me what it was!"

"She… likes me. She kissed me. That was it."

"It looked pretty mutual from where I was standing."

"Ruby, don't. You know I'm not like that. I like _men_. Joey's just going through a rough patch at the moment–"

"So you thought a kiss would make it all better for her?"

"I wasn't kissing her! God, Ruby. What kind of person do you think I am? I'm not one of them!"

"One of them, huh?"

Charlie and Ruby both turned to where Joey was standing by the kitchen entrance, arms folded across her chest.

"Joey, I–"

"Forget it." Joey stormed outside leaving Charlie to scrutinise the situation.

Ruby raised her eyebrows. "She's got it bad. You obviously made her think you were into her somehow."

"Ruby, don't…" Charlie rolled her eyes and retreated to her bedroom.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3 THE REALITY

"Hugo."

After venturing down to the beach in search of Joey, she ran into Hugo who was jogging up on to the sand after a surf. She found him extremely attractive as he wiped his face dry but her thoughts were only on Joey. And this annoyed her.

"Out for a walk?" he placed his surfboard down and draped his towel over his shoulder.

"I'm looking for Joey. Have you seen her?"

"Yeah, I thought I saw her up on the bank a bit further down. Hope everything's okay."

"Yeah, it's fine. Thanks." Charlie began to walk off but Hugo stopped her.

"All that stuff with Robbo wouldn't have been easy to take for her. She's lucky to have a good friend like you."

Charlie nodded. "It's all good. I'll seeya later."

"Charlie." He touched her arm softly. "What are you doing tonight?"

She paused. This was her moment to put all this stuff with Joey behind her. She found Hugo attractive and could easily fall for him. Why not give it a go?

"Nothing at the moment."

"Would you like to have dinner again? I thought last time went well."

Charlie smiled and nodded. "I'd love to. Meet you at the Surf Club at seven?"

Hugo smiled. "Look forward to it."

Charlie ventured down the beach a bit further. She smiled to herself. Maybe this whole Joey mess was a complete mistake. Maybe she _was_ just responding to Joey's feelings for her. Hugo was a nice guy. He was smart and funny and extremely attractive. She could easily get used to him.

The rocky, isolated string of beach line was where Charlie saw two figures. One looked like Joey. Hugo had said she was down here. The other was standing over her. Was that Robbo? This thought made Charlie's heart begin to pelt against her chest like a hammer.

"Joey!" Charlie picked up the pace and jogged to where she found Brett giving her an earful.

"Stay out of this!" Brett pointed his finger menacingly at Charlie and she stopped in her tracks a few steps away.

"You _disgust_ me," spat Brett kicking sand at her.

"Oi!" Charlie lunged forward and pushed him to the side.

"This does _not_ concern you!"

"What the hell is going on?" Charlie looked down at Joey's terrified figure and then back to Brett.

"The trawler business. The one in Yabby Creek. It pays good money but this little insolent pig would choose some girl she's met over a good job! Don't you think it's wiser if she chases her dream rather than a little lesbian fantasy?"

"What does it matter to you anyway?" Charlie outstretched her arms. "You disowned her the minute you threw her out of your house. I think she can make her own choices."

"Just rack off," Brett cursed. "This is none of your business." He grabbed Joey harshly by the wrist and yanked her to her feet. "Now get your bags. We're moving to Yabby Creek."

"Hey what a minute!" Charlie intervened. "What right do you have telling her what to do? She's not a _kid_!"

"Yeah well she's my sister! I think I have more of a right then you do!"

"Let me go…" whimpered Joey, completely defenceless.

"Shutup and get your bags."

"The money's for you, isn't it?" Charlie questioned.

Brett scoffed. "What are you talking about?"

"You don't want her to be happy. You just want her for her money."

"Get outta my face." Brett dragged Joey roughly behind him.

"What do you need it for? Drugs? Alcohol? I know your sort, Brett. You couldn't care less about Joey. We found that out when she was raped."

Joey was on the verge of a breakdown. She was emotionally and physically drained and fighting off a male was something that only brought back the pain.

"Let her go, Brett."

Brett ignored Charlie and continued down the beach. Joey looked back, her eyes pleading with Charlie.

"Brett stop!" Charlie instinctively grabbed him roughly by the shoulder and wrenched his arm from the grip on Joey.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Brett lunged at Joey and struggled against the two girls until he unleashed a blow across Joey's face. Joey fell to the ground and Brett stood for a moment looking at what he'd done before unclenching his fist and taking off in panic.

"Jo…" Charlie knelt down and helped her sit up.

Joey was distressed and the incident with her brother brought back memories of what Robbo did to her.

"Hey, its alright." Charlie wrapped her arms around Joey trying to comfort her. She'd been affected by the blow, Charlie could tell, and it definitely wasn't the right moment to say anything about Hugo.

"He was so angry… I… I should've listened to him," Joey gasped through heaving sobs. She buried her head in Charlie's shoulder, not wanting to let go of the one person she loved. The one person she could still trust.

"You did the right thing. You should _not_ have listened to him. He had no right to tell you what to do. And he certainly did not have any right to hit you."

Charlie felt Joey's grip around her waist tighten. She wasn't letting go of her in any sense of the word.


	4. Chapter 4

Thankyou so much for all your reviews guys! Much appreciated. You're the ones that keep me writing. Hope you enjoy the story so far. Stay tuned!

CHAPTER 4 VULNERABLE

"Have you had that checked out?" Leah inspected Joey's right cheek that night at dinner.

"It's nothing." Joey couldn't make eye contact with anyone. She wanted people to stop fussing around her and stop making a big deal out of this mess. She pushed her peas around on her plate distractedly and Charlie looked at her, desperately wanting to make everything okay. Then her phone rang. It was Hugo. She'd completely forgotten about the date.

She turned away from the table and answered it. "Hey. I'm so sorry it completely slipped my mind. Something's come up…"

"This isn't just an excuse is it?" Hugo replied. "If you don't want to–"

"It's not an excuse. It's… Joey. Look, can we raincheck?"

"Hope everything's okay."

"I'll talk to you soon."

"Who was that?" Ruby immediately shot at Charlie.

Charlie put her phone down. "Oh, just Hugo."

Joey's eyes snapped up to look at Charlie.

"Another date?" A huge grin fell across Ruby's face.

"Good for you!" Leah smiled. "He's a great guy. You won't regret it, I'm sure!"

Charlie could see the hurt in Joey's eyes. It wasn't meant to come out like this. Was it even meant to come out at all?

"So… is Brett going to be charged?" Leah changed the subject to Charlie's relief.

"Joey doesn't want to press charges," Charlie said, finding it hard to even look at her at the moment.

"Well you should. What a pig," Ruby spat, turning her focus towards Joey, "How could anyone do that to a girl. He ought to be jailed just like that sleaze Robbo."

Joey narrowed her eyebrows. "Don't you _dare_ talk about my brother like that. He's _nothing_ like Robbo." She pushed her plate aside and took off to her room.

"I didn't mean to…" Ruby tried to aplogise after her but a door slammed and the room fell silent.

"How can she defend him?" Ruby looked from Leah to Charlie.

"It's okay Rubes. I'll see if she's alright." Charlie stood up.

"Do you think that's a good idea?" Ruby raised her eyebrows remembering how she'd found them earlier when they were alone.

"Don't start with that. It'll be fine."

"Did I miss something?" Charlie heard Leah's confusion as she made her way to Joey's room.

Charlie knocked but there was no answer. She pushed the door open a fraction but didn't see Joey. She went in and found her stuff gone and the window open, leaving the curtains flapping gently and a feeling of guilt placed on Charlie's shoulders.

"She's gone." Charlie raced out to the kitchen and grabbed her phone and keys.

"What?" Leah and Ruby both looked up.

"Joey's gone. And all her stuff. She's taken off." Charlie shook her head and shrugged.

"This is my fault…" Ruby said.

"No, it's not." Charlie put her hand on Ruby's arm, knowing full well that this was all _her_ fault. "I'm going to find her."

"Look, Charlie, don't take this the wrong way but maybe she just doesn't want to be found," Leah suggested.

"Joey's pretty messed up at the moment. I don't like the thought of her being out there alone and vulnerable."

"Well, I'll come too then," Ruby said.

"No." Charlie moved to the door. "You guys stay here if she comes back." Charlie knew this was something she had to do on her own.


	5. Chapter 5

Thankyou for the reviews! Glad you're enjoying it so far! Please keep they coming… they really do motivate me.

CHAPTER 5 LEFT BEHIND

It had been about twenty minutes since Charlie began looking. She'd tried Joey's mobile several times but all she got was message bank. She'd been through the Diner and the Surf Club but no one had seen her.

"Charlie." She was standing by the Bait Shop looking out over the beach when there was a light touch on her arm. She turned around. Hugo.

"Oh, hey."

"Um, what's going on?"

Charlie knew he was talking about the date they'd planned. Of course she didn't give him a reasonable excuse earlier and she understood that he did actually want one.

"Joey's taken off. I don't know where she is. I've looked everywhere…"

"What's happened?"

Charlie took a deep breath. "It's complicated." When Charlie looked into Hugo's eyes she felt a strong sense of trust like she could tell him everything. She held back though. It wasn't the right time.

"Well, can I help you look for her?" Hugo was such a great guy. Charlie _wished_ so bad that she could have all these ridiculous feelings for him instead.

Charlie smiled and nodded. "That'd be great."

"Where do you think she could be?"

"That's the thing. I have no idea. The next place would be Brett's probably. I just doubt she'd be there… He hit her earlier today."

"He what?" Hugo was shocked.

Charlie nodded. "Yeah. It was all a bit intense. We should probably check it out anyway, just to be sure. Maybe he knows something."

Charlie knocked when they arrived at the house. She felt a lot safer with Hugo at her side. A few moments passed before Brett came to the door.

He rolled his eyes. "If you've come to charge me then you're wasting your time. Joey just wants to forget it."

"What… Joey's here?" Charlie tried to peer in through the door.

"Why? Who's asking?" Brett kept a firm hold on the door, not letting anything out.

"I need to see her."

"It's okay." Joey pushed Brett aside but looked to regret it when she saw Hugo with Charlie.

"Nice to see you brought your boyfriend along." Joey raised her eyebrows.

"Oh, we're not together…" Hugo tried to defend but all he got was a look of disgust from Joey. What had _he_ done?

"Can we talk?" Charlie asked.

"If you get rid of him."

Hugo shrugged and made his way down to the end of the driveway while they moved onto the porch.

"Joey, what are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Joey folded her arms tightly across her chest.

"Getting yourself into trouble."

"What do you care?" Joey narrowed her eyebrows and looked over at Hugo.

"It's not like that…"

"Yeah well I don't really care anyway. Brett and I are leaving to Yabby Creek tomorrow."

"_What_?"

"May as well."

"Joey… he _hit_ you! Doesn't that worry you?"

"He's not going to do it again."

"How do you know?"

Joey stayed silent.

"Come on, Joey. I'm worried about you… Don't do this."

"Why not? What's left for me here?"

"Me."

Joey scoffed. "_You_? You _disgust_ me! You let me fall in love with you and then you turn around and break my heart. I don't think I want to stick around for more of that."

"I'm sorry. Don't you get how hard this is for me?"

"Well I can't handle it when you just keep _playing_ me! When I think I understand you, you go and do something that completely changes everything I once thought."

"I'm trying…"

"No you're not. Clearly I don't mean _that_ much to you because you're not trying hard enough. Just forget it."

As hard as it was for Charlie, she let Joey push passed her and disappear back inside the house. She wasn't strong enough to do any of this. She was gutless. All it would take is one step towards the front door to tell Joey how much she meant to her. It would be _so easy_.

Charlie sighed and made her way back to Hugo.


	6. Chapter 6

Thankyou for your lovely reviews, guys! I have a history test for uni in like… 2 hours but hey, writing this was way more fun than studying for that! Enjoy!

CHAPTER 6 A NEW PERSPECTIVE

Joey approached the Diner early the next morning hoping and praying she wouldn't run into Charlie. Seeing her last night was all that she could take. She wanted to get away from Summer Bay as easily as possible and seeing Charlie would make the effort all the more hard.

"Hello there young Joey," greeted Colleen, "Won't be a tic."

Joey forced a smile and waited at the counter while Colleen delivered a young couple their breakfast.

"What can I get you?"

"Two of your breakfast specials to go, thanks."

"For you and Charlie is it?" Colleen took Joey's money and gave her a smile.

Joey didn't return it. "No. Brett and I. We're moving to Yabby Creek."

"Moving? I suppose that boy who did those horrible things to you would be a good enough excuse for anyone. Charlie will certainly miss you though. You two seem to be especially close. It must be just lovely having such a strong friendship like you do. You know Lancey used to have a friend like that. They were practically joined at the hip. They did everything together and people–"

"Colleen," Joey interrupted in a harsher tone than she meant, "Can you please just get my order?"

Colleen rolled her eyes. "Alright, alright. No need to snap."

Joey hated the fact that Colleen had brought up Charlie. She thought about her enough as it was that she didn't need to constantly hear her name. She tapped her fingers impatiently on the counter, dreading the fact that Charlie could walk in at any moment. As much as she wanted to see her, if only for the last time, she just couldn't handle it.

"Here she is!"

Joey turned around when she heard a male voice behind her.

"Snogged any good girls lately? Any you want to recommend?" Trey grinned and turned to his mates, looking for their approval. They all laughed.

Joey turned back to the counter and swallowed hard. Usually she'd stand up for herself. She was always good at comebacks and snide remarks but this time was different. She wasn't in the mood to be hassled. She didn't feel confident like usual. Maybe she'd let down her cover the moment she fell in love with Charlie. The moment her heart beat a little faster whenever she saw her or heard her name. The moment she _met _her. How did Trey know about it anyway? Who else _knew_?

"Have you made any good videos yet?" Trey laughed and slapped his mates, enjoying the torment he was dishing out.

_Men! They're all the same! A bunch of pigs. Low lives. _Joey tried her hardest to ignore the insults but she could feel the entire Diner of people watching on, their eyes burning through her. _Why can't he shut up_? Joey was on the verge of tears. For a second she wished that Charlie was there. She was _always_ there to pull her out of trouble. She needed bailing out of this situation. She needed someone to stand up for her. She felt so helpless.

"Here you go, pet." After what seemed like hours, Colleen eventually handed Joey the breakfasts and Joey took off as fast as possibly out of the Diner.

"Let me know if you need a personal camera man!" Joey heard Trey shout after her before him and his mates erupted into laughter.

She picked up her pace when she got outside and made her way quickly down the road back to her house. How could people be so horrible?

"Joey!"

A voice shouted after her but she refused to stop.

"Oi! Wait up!"

She recognised his voice. It was Trey again. One of his mates grabbed Joey by the arm and pulled her to a halt.

"Let go!" Joey pushed him off and Trey held out a bottle.

"Hey, you forgot this," he said almost politely.

"Chocolate sauce? I didn't order that…"

"Consider it a gift… from me," Trey grinned. What was he playing at?

"I don't want it." Joey turned to take off again but he stopped her.

"Sure you do. Use it on your girlfriend. It makes the date more fun. Trust me." Trey winked and high fived his mates.

_Disgusting pig! _

"Trey! Why don't you grow a brain?" Joey saw Nicole approach them. "Oh woops. Sorry. I forgot you don't have the genes that let you grow anything bigger than a pea."

Trey scoffed and was clearly taken aback by this comment. "Whatever." He shot Nicole and Joey a look of disgust before taking off with his mates.

"You okay?" Nicole asked.

"Fine. Thanks." Joey turned to continue on her way home.

"Hey…" Nicole stopped her. "Don't let them give you a hard time. I know what Trey's like. He can dish it out but he can't take it."

Joey nodded. "Yeah. It's fine. Seeya."

Joey began to approach her house. She didn't want any more interruptions. She just wanted to get out of Summer Bay and start a new life where there was no Charlie, no Trey and no relationships. She promised herself never to fall for anyone again. She knew it would take time to get over Charlie and she wanted more than anything for things to have turned out differently, but this was it. Her new life began now and the more she thought about it, the more excited she felt about working on the trawler and making a fresh start in Yabby Creek.


	7. Chapter 7

Thankyou once again for the reviews! Jambajuice thanks for your suggestions! I will work something in… have to keep my readers happy of course!

CHAPTER 7 A SPANNER IN THE WORKS

Joey had a good feeling about all of this. Brett was being nice to her and they were packing up a few essentials that they'd take to Yabby Creek. The rest they'd come back for later.

Joey heaved her bag into the back of the ute when she saw someone approach the house. Someone she didn't want to see. Not now. Not ever again.

"Hey." Charlie stood a few feet away from Joey, showing that she cared but not giving out too much. Charlie suddenly saw how real all of this was. She hated the mess she'd caused and wanted to iron everything out. Joey certainly wasn't pleased to see her, she could tell. She stood with her hands on her hips and a stern look on her face.

"Nicole told me what happened earlier."

"That'd be right. I bet she couldn't wait to spread it," Joey said with a sarcastic smile.

Charlie shook her head. "It wasn't like that. She only told me because she knew we were friends."

"Charlie, we're not friends. Not anymore. Can you please go?" Joey hated looking into Charlie's eyes. They made her heart melt which made it hard to stand her ground.

"You shouldn't listen to them."

Joey scoffed. "And you can talk? You don't want to be seen with me because you're afraid you're going to get judged. Maybe you need to take your own advice."

Charlie couldn't respond. Joey was right. While she desperately sought to cover up her feelings, a little part of her fear was being exposed. She didn't know what she expected Joey to say or do but she just felt like she needed to be around her. To protect her.

The two looked at each other, neither knowing what to say next. Joey wanted to tell Charlie to leave but she couldn't bring herself to. Somewhere, deep down, she knew how Charlie felt. She knew Charlie cared but she didn't want to believe it. Rejection never came easy to Joey.

"Joey…" Charlie took a step forward and that was when the front door swung open, slamming against the wall.

"It's you, isn't it?" Brett stormed over, pointing his finger menacingly at Charlie.

"Brett, don't…" Joey started.

"You're 'the girl', aren't you?" He stood about a meter away from Charlie. He was fuming. "I should've seen it. The bitch cop. You're the one filling her head with all this crap!"

"That's not true, Brett," Joey defended.

"Don't get me started on _you_! I've been watching you two and you make me sick. Dad would never allow this if he knew what you were getting up to. He'd kill you." Brett spat on the ground and shook his head at Joey.

"There's nothing going on. Charlie was leaving and we're going to Yabby Creek." Joey kept her focus on the ground not daring to look up at Charlie _or_ Brett.

"Forget it! You can forget about coming to Yabby Creek! I knew I couldn't trust you to keep your fantasies to yourself." Brett grabbed Joey's bag and the rest of her belongings from the back of the ute and tossed them on the ground.

"Now get out of my way." He shoved Joey to the side and crawled into the ute, slamming his door shut. "When I come back to get the rest of my stuff I don't want to see you, okay? Stay out of my sight!"

"Brett wait!"

Brett took off without so much as a final glance back at his sister. He was done with her.

"This is _your_ fault!" Joey spun around and faced Charlie who didn't even move a foot.

"You can't say you actually wanted to go with him." Charlie kept her cool.

"Of course I did! I'm not being offered anything here to stay so why the hell should I stick around? This would've all worked out if you didn't show up! Why couldn't you just _stay away_?" Joey was close to tears. She knew the reason she was so angry wasn't because of Charlie but because she couldn't handle her feelings anymore. She couldn't cope when she was around Charlie. She was angry at herself for falling so hard for Charlie.

Joey took a breath, held back the tears and slung her back over her shoulder. She picked up another box of her stuff and lugged it down the road, ignoring Charlie and finding it hard to do so.

"Where are you going?" Charlie asked, her eyes following after Joey.

"To Yabby Creek. Even if Brett doesn't want me I'm not giving up on this job." Joey stared for a second. "No matter what."

"Don't be ridiculous, Joey. How do you think Brett will react when he knows you're still going to live there? He has a temper. We've already established that."

Joey stopped, processing what Charlie said. After a moment she carelessly dropped her things on the ground. "What am I supposed to do? I don't have anywhere to go. I don't have a job… friends… money. My brother hates me. I've got nothing."

Charlie waited.

"All I've ever wanted was to _belong_," Joey choked out, tears rolling down her cheeks. She felt lost and alone. The one person she wanted was too attached to her pride to give her a chance. Her brother couldn't see beneath the surface of things. People saw her for _what_ she was and not _who_ she was. She just needed to feel like there was something out there for her.

"Come back to Leah's." Charlie walked over.

Joey shook her head. "I can't."

"Yes you can." Charlie gave a small smile. "Leah was so worried when I told her you'd left. Ruby likes you and VJ thinks you're great."

Joey shifted on her feet. "What about you?"

Charlie looked away uncomfortably. "It's up to you."

Joey couldn't tell whether Charlie wanted her back or not. She wasn't giving her anything to say otherwise so she nodded.

"Good." Charlie picked up the box and Joey grabbed her bag. Either this was going to work to Joey's favour or it wasn't. Surely there was no harm in trying.


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8 SOMEONE ELSE

Joey sat in the Diner, examining the 'Surprise Sundae' that sat before her. Colleen had given it to her on the house because she'd chosen to stay in Summer Bay. Joey wasn't complaining. Her favourite food had always been ice cream so she welcomed the idea of trying out one of the week's specials.

"Not on a diet, I hope."

Joey looked up and saw Nicole standing over her table, smiling.

Joey laughed. "I wouldn't reckon. Not unless these came in a light variety. But that I highly doubt."

"Mind if I–"

Joey shrugged. "No, be my guest."

Nicole sat down opposite her and placed her hands in front of her. "So. What changed your mind?"

Joey looked up. "I dunno. Just thought Summer Bay's not so bad. Why not stick around?"

"Did Charlie convince you?" Nicole grinned.

Nicole noticed Joey immediately put up a guard. "No. Why would you think that?"

"Because she's your _friend_. You two are like besties. Why wouldn't I think that?"

"We're not… besties." Joey shoved her spoon into the Sundae and swirled the ice cream around.

"Okay… no need to get all defensive."

"I'm not!"

"Hey, settle down." Nicole tilted her head to the side. "Is there something going on between you and Charlie?"

Joey's glance shot straight up. "What? Of course not!"

"Well then do you like her?" Nicole knew she was prying but she found something strange about the way Joey spoke about Charlie. She could sense there was something more.

"I don't see how this is any of your business." Joey looked at Nicole a moment before shifting her focus downwards.

"Oh hello Charlie!" Colleen's voice drove Joey to look up. Charlie was at the counter. She turned around and gave Joey a quick smile before turning back.

"You do!" Nicole said after a moment. She grinned and raised her eyebrows.

"What?" Joey turned her eyes towards Nicole.

"You like her. You've been checking her out ever since she came in."

Joey sighed. "Look, whatever. I have to go."

"I didn't know you and Nicole were mates." Charlie put the kettle on when everyone else had gone to bed that night.

"Yeah, so? She's really cool. I like her." Joey didn't care that this statement caused tension. She saw Charlie pause for a moment and cover her reaction up quickly.

"I hope she's not leading you on."

"Leading me _on_?" Joey almost laughed. "I've had my share of that. I think I can tell by now." She kept her focus on Charlie while she spoke. Charlie knew exactly who she was referring to but tried to ignore it.

"Anyway. We're going for a jog on the beach in the morning. She prefers the gym but I told her jogging in the sea breeze is so much better. And it's true. I mean, you should know. We used to go jogging."

"Maybe I could join you." Charlie suggested. She couldn't help but feel a little annoyed that Joey was beginning to spend time with Nicole. Jogging used to be _their_ thing.

"I dunno. I think she wanted to talk about Geoff. She'll probably be a bit uncomfortable with you there," Joey lied. She wanted Charlie to be jealous. She wanted her to feel what she felt when she'd seen her with Hugo.

"She's talking to you about personal stuff already?"

"She's an open person, Charlie. I guess that's just how she is. It's gonna be fun though. She's a really great person when you get to know her."

Charlie paused. She thought carefully about what she was going to say next. Would it be the wrong thing to say?

"Joey… you do know she's not gay, right?"

Joey looked shocked. "Of course she's not gay!"

Charlie bit her lip. "Yeah, I just thought–"

"Just because I'm gay doesn't mean I can't have friends as well!" Joey shook her head and left the kitchen. "I'm going to bed." Once she closed the door she smiled. She knew Charlie was into her and she knew this whole Nicole thing would bring out her jealousy. It was just a matter of keeping up this act until the truth came out. And it _was_ going to come out.


	9. Chapter 9

Thankyou for reviewing! Wow, it feels great to know you're all eager for more chapters! It's nice to know you're getting into it… it's lots of fun to write! Stay tuned for more!

CHAPTER 9 REALISING

It was about six o'clock when the alarm went off and Charlie stirred. She rolled over and bashed her fist on her alarm clock. She wasn't in the mood for work. She'd had an interrupted sleep and found herself constantly thinking about Joey. It was like she'd been imprinted in Charlie's mind. Tattooed even. She could get rid of the imprint with some pain but the scar would always be there. That's what Charlie hated the most. Maybe she shouldn't get rid of the tattoo…

She forced herself out of bed, realising she was thinking way too much again. Careful not to wake Ruby, she took her uniform and went out for a shower.

"Morning."

Charlie was surprised to see Joey up so early. She was sitting at the table with a coffee and she greeted her with something less of a smile.

"Hey," Charlie replied. Then she remembered the jog with Nicole. "Nice morning for a jog." The sun was only just beginning to rise but there wasn't a cloud in the sky. It was going to turn into a beautiful day.

"Yeah. I should go anyway." She washed out her cup and grabbed her keys.

Charlie was disappointed that she wasn't even up for conversation. It hurt her to think that maybe Joey was moving on. Maybe she was getting over her. As hard as it was to admit to herself, Charlie dreaded the fact that she could lose her. And she wasn't even with her. This made things all the worse.

"N… Nic, stop." Joey slowed to a halt and bent over, leaning on her knees and trying to catch her breath.

"Come on." Nicole bounced from one foot to the other. "Another ten."

Joey couldn't believe how fit Nicole was. "I'm so out of shape…"

"Well then." Nicole hit her softly on the arm. "We'd better get you into shape. Come on. Race you to the Diner."

Joey stood up straight, wiping her brow. "Fine. The loser buys the winner breakfast."

"Deal." Nicole grinned and took off down the beach, a few steps ahead of Joey. There was no competition. Joey hadn't been jogging in a while and it was obvious Nicole had been keeping up her fitness at the gym.

"Easy. Next time I want to see a bit of effort!" Nicole laughed as they walked into the Diner.

"I just let you win," Joey said with a shrug and a concealed smile. "I didn't want to damage your ego."

"Fighting words…" Nicole grinned.

Joey picked up breakfast for them both and they headed outside, sitting on the beach.

"There's nothing better than grilled cheese after a fat burning run," Nicole said, taking a bite of her toasted sandwich.

"You said it." Joey looked at Nicole a moment longer. She was attractive. Very attractive. She was glad Nicole didn't hold anything against her after she asked her out that time. She was sure they'd gotten passed that. But Joey didn't understand why Nicole wanted to hang out with her. She was gay and nobody hung out with the gay girl. Somehow, she didn't buy that Freya had kissed Nicole. Surely it had to be mutual. She didn't remember hearing that Nicole had pulled away or resisted. Maybe it was a cover up. Maybe she was like Charlie and wanted to deny who she truly was. Charlie. Why couldn't she be here with Charlie?

Nicole finished her sandwich and scrunched up the wrapper. "Thanks for breakfast. And the run." She smiled at Joey. "We should do it more often."

There was something about the way Nicole smiled at her. It didn't make her heart skip a beat like Charlie's smile, it was more that someone else had accepted her. That for once, someone didn't judge her. Someone other than Charlie. Charlie. Charlie. Why did everything have to come back to _Charlie_?

Without warning, Joey leaned over and kissed Nicole. She held it for a moment before Nicole finally pulled away.

Joey bit her lip, not even realising what she'd just done. "I… I'm sorry." How could she be so _stupid_?

"What am I? Like a chick magnet?" Nicole grinned, finding the humour in the situation.

Joey was clearly embarrassed. She couldn't bring herself to look at Nicole. "Nic, I'm sorry. I should… I have to go." She went to get up.

"Wait." Nicole grabbed her arm and stopped her. "What's going on?"

Joey paused. She couldn't withhold it anymore. "It's Charlie."

"Charlie?"

Joey nodded. She brought her knees up to her chest and sighed. "I can't stop thinking about her. She's amazing and I've never had such strong feelings about anyone before. I'm in love with her…"

"Wow." Nicole raised her eyebrows. "She did date my dad but she is hot, I must give her that."

Joey didn't respond.

"So… the kiss with me was just a distraction?"

Joey looked at Nicole. "I'm sorry."

"No, don't be sorry." Nicole let out a laugh. "I thought that's all it was. The kiss with Freya was just an act. Attention seeking I suppose."

There was a moment of silence.

"So what's happening then?" Nicole asked.

"Nothing." Joey leaned back on her elbows. "Charlie doesn't want to go there. I'm trying to get over her but it's hard. Way harder than I thought. It's like she's… I dunno… made a mark on my life. She's that special someone. I _know_ it."

"But you want something to happen, right?"

Joey nodded. "More than anything."

Nicole crossed her legs. "Wow. Never would've picked Charlie to be gay. I thought she was dating Hugo."

"She says she's confused. But she keeps giving me signals and that's what's making it so much harder. Sometimes I think she wants something to happen but other times, like when she's with Hugo, I just don't know."

"Geez. I can totally see why she's holding back. I think it's all the talk that would come out of it. How do you deal with that? Like, guys like Trey?"

"It just comes with the territory. I guess you find out who your real friends are."

Nicole smiled. "Well, good luck with it all I guess. For your sake, I hope Charlie comes around. Not sure what Ruby will say but whatever. Sometimes life's about risks, right?"

Joey nodded. "Hey, thanks by the way. For listening. I've never been able to talk to anyone about this."

"No problem. I have to go catch up with Dad so I'll seeya later yeah?"

"Yeah. Seeya."

Nicole headed back into the Diner where she found Charlie sitting at a table having a coffee. She made her way over and sat down, not giving Charlie a chance to protest.

"Hey."

"Oh, hey Nicole."

Nicole could instantly tell Charlie had a lot on her mind. And she knew what it was about too.

"How was your run?"

Nicole nodded. "Yeah good. We had a good conversation too."

Charlie looked up. "What about?"

"Joey's totally in love with this girl. She's going like completely mad over her. I actually felt sorry for her. She kissed me to try and distract herself from her."

"She kissed you?" Charlie felt all the blood rush to her face. She didn't know what she was feeling. She knew she was jealous but a part of her was feeling guilty as hell.

"Yeah, it was brief. I mean, nothing to it. She's got it bad for whoever this girl is. She's pretty messed up over it. Apparently the girl doesn't want to act on her feelings because she's scared. I just think that's _stupid_. Imagine if everyone ignored their feelings. There'd be so many depressed people. What a way to live…"

Nicole saw Charlie think hard about what she'd just said. There was a moment when she almost saw the hint of a tear forming but Charlie immediately blinked it away.

"I say life's too short to hold back from anything. I just wish that girl would get over herself and take a chance."

Charlie was focused on the table, not shifting her eyes. Joey was hurting and it was all her fault. She couldn't see what this was really doing to her. Too much time had passed. Too much wasted time.

"Look, Nicole. I have to get to work." Charlie stood up. "I'll seeya later."


	10. Chapter 10

Glad you're enjoying it! Thanks for reviewing :) I hope you all don't get too overwhelmed by all these updates! I don't have much uni work at the moment so I'm free to write! Happy reading!

CHAPTER 10 TAKING A CHANCE

Joey was watching TV when Charlie arrived home late that night. She didn't look up. She kept her focus on the TV set and pretended to not even notice her.

"Hey." Charlie sat down on the chair leg beside her.

"Hi." Joey still didn't move her eyes.

"I saw Nicole today."

"Cool."

"I know you talked to her about us."

Joey recoiled into her shell. "Well, she had no right to disclose any of that. I told her that in confidence."

"She didn't mention it was me." Charlie paused. "Did you send her to talk to me?"

"I didn't _send_ anyone!" Joey was clearly offended.

Charlie looked down and nodded. "Well, she got me thinking."

Joey looked up for the first time. Was this going to be good news? Could Nicole really be that influential?

"I've wasted so much time hiding my feelings for you. And there _are_ feelings, believe me. Nothing like I've ever felt before and I can't deny them."

A small smile crept across Joey's face. Was she really hearing all of this? Could she really be hearing what she's wanted to hear for the past month?

"Look… I'm not saying I want anything to happen at the moment. But I've taken a few weeks off work. I think we should go away somewhere. Spend some time together just to see how things go. This is a big step for me Joey, I need to be sure."

Joey's eyes lit up. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Really?"

Charlie nodded. "I think so." She gave a smile.

"I'm sorry, Joey. I didn't realise how unfair I was being in all of this. I was only thinking of myself."

Joey shrugged. "It's alright. I understand." She put her hand on Charlie's knee which made Charlie instantly feel like she was doing the right thing. She smiled at Joey. A real, genuine smile. The kind that made Joey's heart skip a beat. They stared into each other's eyes and Charlie slid her hand on top of Joey's. Charlie swallowed hard. The feelings she received from the touch of a hand, from Joey's warm skin and from Joey looking deep within her made her feel something foreign. Something that told her she was an idiot for wasting so much time.

"When should we go?" Joey broke the silence and stroked Charlie's fingers.

"How does tomorrow sound?"

Joey looked up with joy in her eyes. "Perfect."

"Oh guys, you're still up." Charlie immediately pulled back her hand when Leah arrived home.

"Yeah. I think it's just about that time, actually." Charlie stood up. "Oh, hey Leah, by the way… Um, Joey and I are thinking of taking a bit of a trip. I've got a few weeks off work and I thought getting away for a while might be good. For both of us."

Leah smiled and nodded. "Yeah, that sounds like a great idea."

"We'll probably head off tomorrow but we'll let you know."

"Sure. No, that sounds like fun. I think I just about need a holiday myself!" Leah laughed and moved towards her bedroom. "Night guys."

"So we're really gonna do this?" Joey skipped over to Charlie and put her hand on her arm.

Charlie shrugged and smiled. "Of course. It'll be fun. Anyway, I'm gonna get some rest."

Joey nodded. "Hey. Thankyou."

Charlie smiled and closed her bedroom door behind her.

"You're home. What time is it?" Ruby stirred when Charlie was getting changed.

"About eleven. I thought you were asleep. Sorry."

Ruby rubbed her eyes. "Nah, that's cool. I've been thinking about Xavier. I can't sleep."

"Oh yeah? What's up?" Charlie crawled in beside Ruby and pulled the covers over her, sitting up.

Ruby sat up also. "It's just… Hugo's always pestering him about looking after Brendan. It's like Hugo doesn't want any part in it."

"Well, I know Xavier's a lot closer to Brendan. Maybe it's just easier like that."

Ruby sighed. "It's just unfair. You couldn't talk to Hugo could you?"

"I dunno…"

"Aren't you seeing him now anyway?"

Charlie shook her head. "No. It… didn't work out."

"What happened?"

"We're just… I don't think we're compatible. At all." Charlie couldn't bring herself to say anything about Joey. Not until she was sure.

"Hey Rubes… I'm thinking of taking a bit of a holiday. Joey and I might be going away for a few weeks."

"A holiday? You and _Joey_?" Ruby spat out her name like it was a bad thing.

"Well, she's had such a rough time lately. I thought getting her away from Summer Bay, from Brett and all this stuff with Robbo for a while might be good for her."

"Well, okay, fair enough." Ruby paused. "Hey, can I come? Xavier and Brendan can come too! It can be like a total road trip! It might be nice for them to get away, ya know, have a bit of a break from everything too. What do you say?"

Charlie sighed. "I dunno…"

"Come on Charles… I hardly ever get to spend time with you lately. I miss hanging out. You're either at work or with Joey. Plus, do you think it's such a good idea for Joey to be left alone with you? I know she likes you."

Charlie shook her head. "We talked about that. It's fine. We sorted it all out and she's cool about it."

"Are you sure she's not just saying that?"

Charlie sighed. "Look, even if she is, don't you think I can look after myself?"

"I just… the way I found you two the other day. She's clearly way into you."

"And I said we talked about it."

Ruby looked at Charlie with doubt.

"Rubes, come on. It'll be fine. Trust me."

"Well, I'd still like to come. And it's school holidays so it's not like I'm missing anything. Come on, Charlie. Can you at least think about it?"

Charlie knew Joey wouldn't be into the idea and her plan of working out her feelings wasn't going to happen if Ruby and her friends came along. But she felt for Ruby and she missed spending time with her sister as well. "Fine. We'll see."

A smile broke out on Ruby's face. "Awesome!" She crawled down under the covers. "Goodnight."

"Night." Charlie lay down and closed her eyes. She saw Joey. She just hoped this trip would sort everything out. Once and for all.


	11. Chapter 11

Thankyou thankyou for your lovely reviews! amberholic89 I hope you feel better soon and I'm glad my story is keeping you entertained for the time being! Keep reading!

CHAPTER 11 BACK IN THE SWING OF THINGS

"It sucks I can't come with you guys." Ruby stood outside at the car with Charlie and Joey. "But since Hugo won't let Brendan go, Xavier has to stay here and I think I'd feel pretty bad just bailing on him."

Charlie rubbed Ruby's arm. She knew Ruby's road trip plan would fall through but she didn't want to say anything. Another time. "It's okay, Rubes. You'll have fun here anyway. You should be happy to be getting rid of me for a while!"

Ruby didn't say anything. She'd had her heart set on taking the trip too. "Promise me we'll do something when you get back."

Charlie nodded. "Of course we will." She pulled Ruby into a tight hug before climbing in the driver's seat.

"Have a great time, you guys. I'll see you in a few weeks!" Ruby called out when they pulled out down the road.

Charlie and Joey waved, both realising that the next few weeks were going to be spent entirely with each other.

"I'm glad it's just us," Joey said after a moment.

Charlie nodded. "Me too. I feel pretty bad though. I think maybe I have been neglecting Ruby a bit. I really need to spend more time with her."

"Well, hopefully things are a lot clearer for you when we return. Maybe then you can get your focus back."

The two sat in silence for a while. The soft sound of the radio allowed them to hide from each other the fact that they were both thinking too much. Charlie wondered how all of this would turn out. She knew her feelings for Joey grew with every moment she spent with her, but what if this whole trip only made her more confused? Joey worried that the time Charlie spent with her would have the opposite effect. She didn't want Charlie to realise her feelings were all false. Perhaps too much time together would bring that out.

That was when they both began to say something.

"Sorry." Joey smiled sheepishly. "Go on."

"I was just gonna say that I'm glad you agreed to do this." Charlie sped up to overtake a vehicle.

"I'm glad you asked! Do you know how long I've been waiting to do something like this with you? To just spend time with you?"

Charlie pulled back in the lane and smiled. "Yeah. I'm sorry about all that. I can be insecure and these feelings really didn't do much to help that."

"It's fine. You really don't have to apologise. Whatever's happened is in the past." Joey paused. "But I'd like to kiss you again."

Charlie's cheeks flushed red. "Jo… I probably should warn you that I want to take things slow. I don't want to rush into anything."

Joey let out a slight laugh. "I'm cool with that. But it was nice. The kiss." She looked over at Charlie and grinned.

Charlie laughed and shook her head.

"Hey!" Joey turned the radio up. "It's the song!"

It took a moment for Charlie to realise what she was on about but then recognised it. When they had that dance on the boat. It was this song.

They began to sing and move to the music. It was like reliving their first 'date' in a sense. It was at that point when Charlie truly realised how she felt. This song would always hold that memory for her. For them both.

It was a few hours later when they'd reached the city. They were going to spend the first few days in the city and then stay out near a country town in a secluded lodge. Charlie had booked a top apartment at a hotel in the city and once they found their room, they loaded their luggage inside.

There was a double and a single bed. Charlie somehow felt uneasy about sharing a bed with Joey. They weren't a couple but their relationship wasn't platonic.

Joey made her way over to the single bed. "I'll take the single. It doesn't worry me." Charlie was surprised that Joey hadn't insisted they share. She made things so much easier and Charlie smiled.

Joey noticed. "What? You wanted to take things slow so that's what we're doing." She smiled and threw her pillow on the bed. There were so many things Charlie admired in Joey. There were so many things that were attractive about her. She was so considerate and patient and Charlie couldn't understand why she'd accepted her after she played around with her feelings so much. She decided to cherish every moment she spent with her and hoped Joey knew how thankful she was that she'd given her another chance.


	12. Chapter 12

Now, I'm not sure what the go is with Joey's dad in the show so I made up what I wanted! Thankyou for all your lovely reviews, guys. You don't know how good it makes me feel! And I agree, Home and Away should just be Charlie and Joey. But whatever… it's going so slow in the show we need a bit of something else to keep us all going in the mean time. If nothing else happens between them in the show then I will be very disappointed!

Anyhoo… enjoy some Charlie and Joey relief! :)

CHAPTER 12 BEAUTIFUL

"I can't believe you actually got us tickets for a cruise!" Joey was excited. Charlie knew how much the water and boats meant to her and she couldn't resist. They moved up a few places in the queue.

"I hope it's as good as they say it is."

"Who cares! It's a cruise!" Joey grabbed Charlie's arm. "Thankyou." She looked into Charlie's eyes and Charlie could see she was thankful. _Really_ thankful.

Once they boarded the ship they headed on up to the front of the boat, holding the railing and looking over the river.

"I've missed this." Joey felt the breeze blow through her hair and the warm sun on her back. Her eyes explored the route they'd be taking and smiled at the beauty of the river. Charlie kept her eyes on Joey. She enjoyed seeing her with such enthusiasm and excitement that it made Charlie feel good inside. She was glad they were alone and away from everyone where they could just be themselves.

Joey finally peeled her eyes away from the scenery to look back at something more beautiful than the view. "You're amazing."

Charlie smiled. "I'm glad you like it."

The ship began to take off and Joey's smile broadened. She let go of the railing with one hand and took Charlie's hand. "And there's no one I'd rather be here with."

Charlie looked down and weaved her fingers through Joey's. She was tired of beating herself up about her feelings. She didn't want to fight against them anymore.

"Me too," Charlie replied in almost a whisper.

Half an hour passed in no time at all. Charlie felt it went way too quickly and instantly knew that this was right. This was where she was meant to be right now. The ship slowed right down and idled on the water giving people a chance to take in the scenery and relax under the cloudless sky.

Charlie and Joey took a seat on some deck chairs where they could soak up the sun and listen to the water gently lapping against the side of the ship. Joey's favourite sound.

"Drinks, ladies?"

They both sat up and saw a waiter stand before them with a tray and glasses of champagne. They both took one and he nodded and left.

"No way! Charlie!" Joey hit her softly. "How much did this cost you?"

Charlie shrugged. "Don't worry about that."

"I'll pay you back, I promise." Joey couldn't believe Charlie had spent so much on making her happy. She loved the thought and didn't want to be anywhere else right now, but she knew doing something low key and quiet would be just as great. All she wanted was to be with Charlie, no matter what they did.

"Don't be silly." Charlie waved her hand in dismissal. "This is my apology. For stuffing you around."

"You don't have to apologise, Charlie…" Joey perched herself up against the back of the chair and turned to face her. "You need to stop beating yourself up about that. I pressured you and I didn't even give you time to work out what you were feeling. I was the selfish one in all of this. You just make me _so happy_ and I haven't had that feeling in a long time. I just wanted this all to happen, to rush it because I felt like I was craving love."

Charlie nodded. "You know this is different for me."

"Yeah, I know." Joey set her glass down on the table beside her. "That's why taking things slowly is a good idea. Let's just enjoy it."

There was a short silence before Charlie spoke up. "Tell me about your dad."

This question caught Joey by surprise. She hadn't spoken to Charlie about her family much at all. Perhaps only Brett on a few occasions but never about her dad. "What's there to tell?"

"Well, I just don't know much about him. Your relationship with him–"

"He died." Joey cut her off and looked away. "When I was fifteen he died in a car accident."

"Oh." Charlie held back. "I'm sorry."

Joey shook her head. "No, it's fine. I wasn't close to him. He was… he had problems… with me. Basically I was a girl and completely useless to him. He used to hit me when I didn't do as he said. I think that's what put me off guys. It just made them all seem… less attractive I guess." Joey paused. "And Mum was never around. I don't even know her. She took off when I was little and after Dad was killed it's only ever been me and Brett. When I realised I was gay I kept it to myself. I couldn't let it come out, not around Dad especially. I mean, he had a problem with girls. I'd hate to think how he felt about lesbians…"

Charlie thought about what her dad would say if he knew she was gay. Would he disown her? What would Ruby do? How would she react? She was usually pretty cool about everything. She didn't flip out when she found out Joey was gay so would it be any different with her?

"Sorry. I'm rambling…" Joey drank the last of her champagne.

"No, don't worry. I'm glad you told me. I had no idea…"

Joey laughed. "What are we doing? I'm just dragging us both down. This is supposed to be fun!"

Charlie sat up.

"We need to do something crazy!" Joey took her mobile from her pocket and put on some music. Beautiful by Akon.

Joey began moving slowly to the beat. Charlie laughed. She could dance alone with Joey but not when there were other people around. Not here.

The chorus came on and Joey jumped to her feet, pointing at Charlie and singing, "You're so beautiful. So damn beautiful."

Charlie grinned but pulled her down, embarrassed. Joey put her hands on Charlie's shoulders and whispered it. "You're so beautiful. So damn beautiful…"

She took Charlie's hand, stood up and raised her eyebrows indicating she wanted her to join in. Charlie couldn't even muster enough to analyse the situation. She was lost in the moment. She got to her feet and they danced, just like the time on the boat. People watched on as the two girls fearlessly moved about, enjoying the moment and showing people they didn't care. They were together and they were happy. That was all they cared about.


	13. Chapter 13

Thankyou so much for reviewing! I hope this story is heading the direction you all want! I can't promise it will be without a few bumps but enjoy the happy Joey and Charlie of this chapter! Thanks.

CHAPTER 13 PERFECT

The cruise had proved a success as Joey spent the rest of the day bubbly and extremely happy. Charlie hadn't felt this good about giving something in a long time. She'd only ever been the receiver. She'd always been the spoilt one. It was always the guy that would give, who would do something romantic. Charlie didn't realise how much she missed _giving_ and how much she missed making someone happy. It was a good feeling and the way she saw Joey react was encouraging, like she'd done something right. Like this entire situation was _right_.

That night they decided to have a quiet one. Joey wanted to return the favour but needed to get Charlie out of the room to do so.

"Hey…" Joey made her way over to where Charlie was digging through her bag. "What are you looking for?"

Charlie sighed. "You'll laugh."

"No I won't. I promise."

"Brandy." Charlie rubbed her neck. "It's… a teddy bear. A present from Dad. She sits by my bed every night."

Joey grinned but tried to conceal it. "I see."

Charlie reluctantly smiled. "Yeah, shutup. She's in the car. I might just–"

Charlie turned to see Joey let out a little laugh. "I'm sorry." Joey turned her laugh into a smile. "It's nice… to see your sensitive side."

Charlie rolled her eyes but slightly smiled. "Yeah, okay. I thought I'd find out from reception breakfast times too. Wanna come?"

Joey shook her head. "Oh, nah that's cool. I'll stay."

When Charlie was gone, Joey smiled in commendation at Charlie's self-disappearing act. This would give Joey a few minutes to get the place ready.

Charlie swiped her card at the door when she arrived back. She opened it and stopped in the doorway when she saw the room dimly lit with candles. Joey was perched on the bed waiting.

"Oh my God…" Charlie's voice was a whisper. Her hand automatically moved to her mouth where she stood in shock.

Joey got up and made her way over. "This is my way of repaying you."

"Joey, you didn't…" Charlie couldn't manage anything more than a whisper. Her eyes scanned the room, taking in the beauty of the light flickering from the candles. The curtains were drawn. There was a single candle in the middle of the table with two glasses on either side. It was perfect. No one had ever done _anything_ like this for Charlie before. It was so simple yet so beautiful. So _her_.

"I just wanted to thankyou for today. For the cruise and the walk through the city. For bringing me here. For finally letting me into your life…" Joey took Charlie's hand.

Charlie almost lost her breath for a second. She would _never_ forget the way Joey made her feel. Her heart began to pound against her chest, threatening to break through at any moment.

"I… don't know what to say." Charlie squeezed Joey's hand, looking into her eyes. She was so attractive with the candlelight flickering behind her. With her dark hair cascading down her shoulders. Those _cute_ dimples in her cheeks when she smiled. The energy that projected from her body.

"You don't have to say anything." Joey led her over to the table and they sat down.

Charlie, still realising she was holding Brandy, flushed a shade of red and set her down on the ground.

"Brandy, huh?" Joey grinned, toying with her knife and fork.

Charlie looked down and smiled. "Yeah."

"You know, you act like such a tough cop all the time but I don't think you are at all. I think you're a softie underneath all that uniform."

Charlie looked up, sensing a slight tease in that sentence. "Is that so?"

"Yep. I also think you hide that because you're afraid of letting other people in."

Charlie raised her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"Exactly that. I get it. You've been hurt in the past and you don't want that again…"

Charlie looked away, knowing every word was true. Roman… Hugo. She let go of her heart a few times and she ended up with it bruised or broken. It was too hard to recover and she didn't want that again. She didn't _need_ it from other people.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Charlie." Joey slid her hand across the table and took Charlie's hand loosely in hers, stroking her fingers and putting emphasis on the fact that her feelings were _real_. That she wasn't prepared to let anything get in the way of their relationship.

Charlie swallowed hard. She looked down at their joined hands and then back into the eyes of someone she _knew_ wouldn't hurt her. Joey would be the last person.

"I know." Charlie smiled.

After a knock on the door and their dinner was delivered, the two ate over lighthearted conversation. Nothing too deep or emotional that could potentially ruin their night. Charlie told stories of her early childhood and the life she used to have. One that was carefree and easy. Joey kept quiet about her early life. She spoke about her dreams and what she wanted the future to hold. She didn't want to bring up her childhood. Not now.

"What a day!" After they'd finished off their food and wine, Charlie collapsed on her bed. She smiled thinking of the cruise and how happy she'd been just spending time with Joey. "If everyday is like today then I think we have a pretty good holiday ahead of us."

Joey lay down beside her with enough distance to indicate she was considerate of Charlie's wishes. "Agreed. Today was really great. Thankyou again."

Charlie rolled over, resting her head on her pillow. "It was a lot of fun."

Joey reached out her arm and pressed play on the CD player after a moment of silence. She turned back to Charlie, staring into her eyes as the song played.

"I love these guys…" Charlie whispered. Secondhand Serenade. Fall For You.

Joey smiled and thought of how lucky she was. How did she end up with someone so _perfect_? How could it be that she was lying only inches away from the most amazing person in the world? Their eye contact remained locked. Neither of them looking away. Neither of them _wanting_ to look away. Joey lifted her hand and stroked Charlie's face. She longed to kiss her. She wanted _so bad_ to feel the softness of her lips and taste her once again. She didn't forget how it felt. It was the perfect moment. As much as she wanted to hold Charlie and feel her close, to kiss her and feel her breath on her face, she held back. She respected her decision to take things slow and she wasn't going to ruin this chance. If she had to wait, she would.


	14. Chapter 14

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CHAPTER 14 A LESS SUCCESS

Charlie strutted out of the change room, wearing a short black dress which showed off long tanned legs. Joey's eyes immediately diverged to them where she found any word that could've come out get caught up in her throat.

"What do you think?" Charlie stood before the mirror, rotating to get a good view of every angle.

Joey shook her head at this amazing beauty standing before her. Charlie had _everything_. "You look stunning. Actually, I can't even begin to describe how you look…"

Charlie wasn't sure. "Maybe it's a bit too over the top."

"Don't be ridiculous," Joey said. "It's perfect."

They were choosing outfits for that night. They were heading out to one of the nearby clubs which boasted great music and a good environment.

"Well, you're turn. Try on the blue." Charlie nodded towards the clothes rack before disappearing inside the change room.

Joey took the blue dress off the hook. She wasn't sure. She wasn't a dress person. At all. She'd never tried one on let alone worn one out in public. It seemed too out of her comfort zone. She tried it on anyway and came out to where Charlie was standing. She raised her eyebrows before allowing a smile to appear on her face.

"Wow," was all Charlie could muster. Seeing Joey in a dress was like seeing Hugo without a top on. A completely different feeling swept over her though. She never felt like _this_ when she saw Hugo's body.

"I dunno…" Joey wasn't smiling. She felt uncomfortable and stood awkwardly, not knowing what to do with her hands. There were no pockets she could bury them in.

"Here…" Charlie walked over and slid her hands around Joey's waist, taking the ties and knotting them at the back into a bow. She was close enough that Joey could feel her breath on her neck. She turned her head slightly to the side, not exactly knowing what she expected. Charlie lingered behind her longer than needed before stepping back to take in Joey's new look.

"You look gorgeous." Charlie smiled as he eyes wandered over her body. It was something completely new. Something completely different from Joey's camo shorts and cute little beanie.

"Really?" Suddenly all that mattered was Charlie's opinion of her.

Charlie nodded. "Yeah." And it was genuine.

Carrying their bags down the street, Charlie and Joey spent the rest of the day shopping. There was the occasional divergence when Joey saw a fishing shop and _had_ to spend no less than half an hour in there. She wanted to teach Charlie about fishing and about the different equipment that was on sale. Charlie found she wasn't bored at all. Joey's enthusiasm was infectious and Charlie found herself interested. She saw the way Joey was so passionate about everything she was saying and didn't want to take her eyes off her. She found that every inch of her personality came out when she spoke about fishing and boats and the sea and it was an intriguing and beautiful thing.

They'd also come across a bizarre statue that was considered the most fascinating piece of artwork in the city. Joey stopped a passer by and asked him to take a picture for them. Their first photo as a _couple_. Charlie felt a smile so easy to come by with her arm tucked tightly around Joey's waist, their bodies close. She felt Joey's hand remain on her lower back while the young man brought over their camera. Joey had thanked him and took the camera, slipping her arm out slowly, making the moment last longer. It was the only time she felt she could be _this_ close to Charlie and not continue to take things slow. They stood together for a while, both of them pretending to look at the photos on the camera but neither of them actually focusing. Their feelings for each other were empowering and that's all they knew.

The club was dark but blue, green and yellow lights flashed around the building, bringing into view a band on the stage, a bar to the right and girls skimpily clad in low cut dresses dancing with each other with guys lecherously checking them out. Joey took Charlie's hand and led her to the front of the stage. Their eyes had adjusted to allow them to notice just how sleazy the place was. Joey didn't seem to mind. She began to dance fearlessly among the other girls, but kept her eyes on Charlie, pleading with her to join in. Charlie smiled and began to move to the music, eventually letting herself go and doing whatever she needed to forget about her restraints.

"That was awesome!" They made their way over to the bar after half an hour of constant dancing where they pitched themselves up to order some drinks.

"I didn't think I could feel so comfortable in _this_," Joey laughed looking down at her dress, as they took their drinks to a small table a few meters from the bar and away from the stage.

"Well you look hot." Charlie admitted with a grin.

Joey smiled and swirled her straw around in her drink. That was when two guys approached them. One was fairly drunk and looked rough. He had short clipped hair, an earring in his left ear and eyebrow, a stubbly chin and a wide nose. The other had a Brad Pitt-eat your heart out-smile and blue eyes that stood out among other perfect features.

The drunk guy slung his arm over Joey's shoulders and leaned down so his face was only inches from hers. "Hey babe. Come and have a drink with me." His arm slipped down her back and explored her body without a worry. Joey's entire body tensed up and she kept her focus on her drink in front of her, petrified.

Charlie noticed. "Oi. Get your hands off her."

"She's gonna get a drink with me," he said, his hand moving around to her breast.

"Mate, leave her." The other guy pulled him away before he had a chance to grope her. "You're disgusting when you're drunk." He mouthed a genuine sorry to them both before pushing his friend back to the bar.

"Are you okay?" Charlie reached for Joey's hand and held it tightly.

Joey nodded, unconvincingly. The incident had clearly shaken her up and she didn't look up at Charlie once.

"Are you sure? Do you wanna go?" Charlie hated that guy for ruining their night. She wished Joey would look at her but her eyes were locked on her drink. An obvious out for not having to show any fear.

"I'm just going to the bathroom." Joey got up.

"Should I come?" Charlie asked but Joey had gone. She watched her walk to the bathroom quickly and self-consciously. That _guy_ had killed Joey's confidence and she didn't need this right now.

"Hey, I'm really sorry about that." The sober guy set himself down in Joey's seat, opposite Charlie.

"Your idiot friend really scared her. You don't know what she's been through." Charlie narrowed her eyebrows, hating that she was angry at this guy when he had done nothing wrong.

"Yeah, I should've kept him away. He has such a bad habit… I _am_ sorry. I hope she's okay." He was genuinely sorry for his friend's behaviour and appeared a little embarrassed by it also.

There was a short silence before Charlie sighed. "Well, thankyou. Just keep him away from her."

The guy nodded and then held out his hand. "I'm Josh."

"Charlie." She said, taking his hand.

"So what do you do with yourself, Charlie?" he asked, slightly smiling.

Charlie paused. "I'm a cop."

Josh raised his eyebrows and then seemed to nod approvingly. "I'm sure a lot of stuff in this place doesn't sit well with you then."

Charlie shrugged. "I'm on leave so I'm trying not to be a cop at the moment."

"I see." Josh seemed to be in thought for a moment before he dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "We should go out sometime."

He handed Charlie his name and number and she laughed. "You have them pre-prepared?"

He shrugged. "I don't hand them out too often." He looked into her eyes and she felt so comfortable with him. Like she knew him from somewhere. Like she'd known him for ages.

"I dunno…" Charlie hesitated.

"Let me guess, you have a boyfriend?"

"Well… no…"

"So then?" He tilted his head and kept his hand out.

Charlie took his number and slipped it into her bag. Then she remembered Joey. "I should see if Joey's okay."

She got up and Josh nodded. "Call me."

Charlie looked at him for a moment before making her way over to the bathroom. She rounded the corner and saw the drunk guy again. He had his hands all over Joey. "You know you want me."

Joey was scared stiff. She tried to push him away to no avail as his hands groped her breasts and he kissed her neck.

All the blood rushed to Charlie's faced as she raced over. "Get the hell away from her you sleaze!" She grabbed him roughly and yanked him backwards.

"I like 'em rough." He grinned and showed crooked, yellow teeth. He latched onto Charlie and she kneed him in the crotch which forced him to let go.

"Mate, what are you doing?" Josh soon came over looking angry. He pushed his friend against the wall. "I told you to leave them alone."

"Dude, we were only having a bit of fun." His eyes were unable to focus and they wandered around the room, staring into nothing.

Charlie put her arm around Joey and led her to the exit, pausing near Josh and whispering, "I think you ought to choose your friends more carefully."

She told Joey it was going to be okay when they got outside. The fear that had consumed Joey wouldn't even allow her to yell for help. She couldn't even muster any strength to fight him away and she felt weak. So weak that she'd let him touch her.

"I just wanna go…" Joey said, still not managing to look up at Charlie.

Charlie nodded and hated that this night wasn't as successful as the last. She just wanted every day to be perfect and then _this_ had to happen. _Bloody men_, she thought.

He


	15. Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15 ONE MOMENT

Joey sat curled up on her bed once they arrived home. She'd changed out of her dress immediately, throwing it carelessly on the floor. She had her earphones in, ignoring the fact that Charlie was in the room and wanted her to talk. She didn't want to let Charlie into her fear. She hated how weak she felt and edged closer to the wall, wanting to disappear behind it.

Charlie stood by the table on the other side of the room, watching Joey. She looked so _small_ and frightened. So alone. Charlie wanted to tell her it would all be okay and hold her, letting her into her emotions. There was nothing she could do. Joey wasn't showing that she wanted comfort or that she even wanted company. She looked like she wanted to be alone.

Charlie took Josh's phone number from her bag and sighed. She wasn't going to act on it. She knew she wouldn't. But something told her to keep it. She couldn't bring herself to throw it away just yet.

"Why did you go out with Hugo?"

A small voice projected itself through the air and hit Charlie unexpectedly. She paused for a moment while Joey turned to her and pulled out her earphones.

"What?" Charlie was stalling. Why _had_ she gone out with Hugo? She didn't even know. Her feelings for Joey had been just as strong back then but she chose a guy she thought she _could_ fall for over someone who had put their heart on the line; someone who loved her.

"You knew how I felt about you so why did you do it? Were you trying to hurt me?"

Charlie didn't understand where all of this was coming from. Surely they'd gotten passed it. Surely it had been left in the past.

"Of course I wasn't…" Charlie took a step towards Joey.

Joey paused. "Josh, huh? Looks like you guys managed a nice introduction after I'd just been harassed by a sleaze."

"It's not like that, Joey."

"What's it like then? Did you get his number too?"

Charlie stupidly looked down at the piece of paper in her hand and clenched her teeth.

Joey let out a laugh of unbelief. "You did, didn't you?"

"He gave it to me. I wasn't going to do anything about it. I wasn't going to _call him_. Joey I want to be with _you_."

"I've worked it out, Charlie. Whenever something gets a bit tough you run to the nearest guy. You're not comfortable with us at all, are you?"

Joey was outright attacking her. She couldn't believe how horrible she was being making all these assumptions.

"I'm sorry about the whole Hugo thing, okay? I didn't mean to hurt you. I was confused with how I was feeling…"

Joey threw her head back in anger. "You're _always_ confused! Stop making that as an excuse!"

"Joey, don't…"

"You're unbelievable."

Charlie was fed up with all these accusations. She hated being put on the spot and having her whole world of feelings under scrutiny. "The problem here is that _you don't trust me_."

"How am I supposed to trust you? How am I supposed to trust _anyone_?"

"I thought we were stronger than this." Charlie screwed up the piece of paper in her hand and moved towards the door. "It's a shame I was wrong."

Joey watched as Charlie opened the door and left without even a single word. Her heart felt like it was torn in two. She didn't mean to be so forward. She knew Hugo was a mistake and that Charlie wouldn't be here if she wasn't into her. She was just fed up with being an easy target. For guys. She _hated_ guys and was finding it so hard to believe that Charlie could ever really like someone like her. How could she have feelings for someone who was always in trouble? Wouldn't she get sick of saving her?

The second Charlie stepped out the door she fell against the wall and erupted into a mass of tears. She thought her and Joey were okay. She thought they were _better_ than okay. She'd finally figured out how she felt and it was as if everything they once had was thrown back at her. She swallowed her feelings and looked down at the strip of paper holding Josh's number. Would he still be at the club?

A couple minutes passed before Joey looked down at her Ipod and threw it as hard as she could at the floor. She sunk into her bed and cried into her pillow. She'd made such a mess of everything. Why did she have to bring up Hugo? She thought she wanted clarification that there was nothing there between them but really, truly deeply, she knew there wasn't. She knew Charlie had feelings for her. She could see how strong they were but everything about it was so unbelievable. Surely someone as perfect and strong and beautiful as Charlie would eventually see through a failure like Joey. Inside she hoped Charlie was going back to Josh. She wanted it all to be over for Charlie's sake. She knew Charlie would get bored of her so she decided that maybe the easiest thing to do would be to end it all now.

Meanwhile, Charlie was only a block away from the club. She couldn't believe her legs were actually taking her back there. The guys in that place were a bunch of sleazes. The girls were sluts. It wasn't her type of place and she stopped midway, taking one last look at the piece of paper in her hand. What was she doing? Why was she going back to a guy she didn't even know while there was a girl back at her hotel room- a girl who made her heart pound against her chest, who gave her sweaty palms, who sent a tingling sensation all over her body- who she really, truly cared about? She dropped Josh's number into the gutter and walked away, finding out that she didn't even care. She didn't care if she never saw him again. All she wanted was Joey and Charlie had been horrible. She'd been through a traumatic experience- God knows what was going on in her head right now- and Charlie had just walked away. Would Joey forgive her?

She wiped her eyes in a failed attempt to stop the tears and swiped her card at the hotel room door. She took a deep breath, hoping and praying that Joey wouldn't hate her, and stepped inside. Charlie heard Joey stop crying when she entered and she sat up, looking at Charlie, wishing she didn't say all those horrible things. Charlie looked back for a moment before making her way over and taking her in a tight hug. Joey realised there didn't need to be words. They'd both crossed the line and they knew that. Joey buried her head in Charlie's shoulder; missing the protection she felt when Charlie held her close. Missing the smell of Charlie's perfume and the musky smell of her neck that was all hers. It was all hers to breathe in. To inhale and create into a memory. Charlie held Joey's head lovingly and caressed her hair, resting her lips against Joey's neck. Joey wanted to stay like this forever. The warmth she felt from Charlie's body was a single indication that _everything_ would be okay, that she didn't go back to that horrible club, that she was sorry and that she cared. She never thought being in someone's arms could feel so good. That it could be such a comfort.

Charlie pulled away after a while, still remaining close. She placed her hands on Joey's cheeks, wiping her tears with her thumbs.

"I'm sorry, I was inconsid–"

"Don't…" Joey stopped her, placing her hand over Charlie's.

"No. I don't know what it's like for a guy to do that. I should've–"

"Charlie." Joey ran her hand up and down Charlie's arm lightly. "I'm here with you now. That's all I need to feel safe."

Charlie stroked her face one last time before dropping her hands down to Joey's thighs. An intense moment lingered between them before Charlie leaned in slowly. She placed her hands on Joey's waist and pressed her lips against Joey's. Joey reacted with her hand reaching up to hold Charlie's face while she responded with a soft motion. Joey breathed in every moment of the kiss. Everything she remembered about their first kiss was correct but this one lasted longer, something Joey enjoyed. She loved the way Charlie tasted _so_ sweet. She contoured her lips to try and capture everything that Charlie could offer. And Charlie gave everything. She felt that this was right. That this was the right moment. She felt that everything about Joey could be exhaled into her from this one kiss. She felt Joey's hand run through her hair and the warmth of her tongue enter in passed her lips. Charlie fought against it, pressing against Joey's tongue with her own, capturing the taste of her and remembering the feeling of her sweet, soft lips against her own.

The two slowly parted and rested their foreheads together, thinking of the moment they'd shared and how beautiful it was. Joey went in for another kiss. A short, sharp peck this time as a 'thankyou'. She felt Charlie's warm breath on her skin and realised it was a feeling she'd been longing for for so long. Just to have Charlie so close and so intimately positioned with her was a delight on it's own. Charlie took Joey's hand, still wrapped up in the perfect moment, and led her over to her bed. She lay down. Joey lay beside her, this time with no distance between them. Joey draped her arm across Charlie's waist and pulled her closer. Charlie stroked her arm and closed her eyes. And they didn't speak. They just lay there, their bodies pressed together in a special way, neither of them wanting to be anywhere else. And they were happy to just be. He


	16. Chapter 16

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CHAPTER 16 THE SHACK

Joey opened her eyes. Sunlight spilled through the centre crack of the curtains and gave the room a little light, indicating it was the morning. The first thing Joey saw was Charlie. Her eyes were closed and she was still asleep. Joey didn't remember falling asleep beside her last night but she smiled, remembering how perfect everything had ended up. Remembering the passion that both of them shared.

Joey smiled. Her arm was still resting on Charlie's waist and she could feel the steady motion of her breathing. She looked so peaceful. So _beautiful_ just lying there, only inches away from Joey's own face. Joey moved her hand to Charlie's face and stroked her hair lightly, being careful not to wake her. She thought about how it felt to kiss those lips. The moment had been so magical.

Charlie soon stirred and opened her eyes, eventually coming to and seeing Joey beside her, looking at her and smiling.

"How…" Charlie cleared her throat. "How long have you been awake?"

"Long enough to take in your beauty." Joey brushed the back of her fingers down Charlie's cheek.

Charlie smiled tiredly. She hadn't remembered falling asleep either. All she knew was that she was an idiot for wasting so much of her time alone when she could've been with Joey. When she could've been feeling like _this_.

She leant forward and kissed Joey's lips lightly, keeping them in contact for long enough to bring back memories of last night.

"Last night was perfect," Joey whispered when they parted. "You don't know how long I've waited for that. How many times I _wished_ to feel that with you."

"I'm sorry we had to wait," Charlie replied, touching Joey's lips with her thumb and smiling lovingly.

Joey took Charlie's hand and brought it up to her lips, kissing her fingers softly and sensually. Charlie's heart raced, her stomach flipping like she was descending at a rapid pace on a rollercoaster. Just looking into those deep, brown eyes caused such a rush of excitement through her body.

"What are we doing today?" Joey slipped her arm around Charlie and her hand slid warmly up her back.

"Well." Charlie smiled and watched her fingers move along Joey's arm as if they had a mind of their own. "We're getting out of here."

Joey raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I know a guy. Steve Denaris. He's a friend of Dad's and he's letting us take over his holiday house for as long as we like. It's secluded and private but close enough to the city so we don't have to go too far for supplies."

Joey let out a short laugh. "You have this all planned out, don't you?"

Charlie shrugged. "It's worth it."

Joey bit her lip in bashful gratitude before Charlie sat herself up. "I'm gonna grab a shower."

She smiled down at Joey thinking how lucky she was before sliding off the bed and closing the bathroom door behind her.

After they'd packed up and left, Charlie and Joey climbed into the car and navigated their way through the city traffic before hitting the open road again and making their way towards the shack that would be their home for the next week or so.

"It's such a beautiful day today." Joey peered out the window as Charlie turned down a narrow dirt track thickly lined with pine trees.

Joey traced her finger along the map she was holding. "It should be the next right and then the third left."

Charlie nodded in acknowledgement. "I'm so glad Steve agreed to let us stay here. He's been such a good friend of Dad's though so I don't see why he would say no."

Joey looked over at Charlie, studying her face and looking for any perfect feature she may have missed. "When did you plan all this?"

Charlie shrugged. "Not too long ago. It was kind of last minute… as you know."

Joey slipped her hand onto Charlie's thigh. A tingle shot up her body from that one touch. She suddenly wished she hadn't worn shorts today. She didn't want that strong desire to hold Joey and kiss her when her main priority was keeping them on the road. Charlie swallowed hard, enjoying the sensation from the contact. Joey knew she was having an effect so she continued to run her fingers lightly over Charlie's bare leg, keeping her eyes locked on Charlie's forced seriousness and turning her smile into a cheeky grin.

Charlie, finally realising Joey was teasing her with this physical contact, brushed her hand away and tried to suppress a smile. She turned where she needed to and they eventually arrived at a small shack. Charlie pulled the car up just outside the gate and they got out. It was cute and in such a beautiful location. Dense, green forest surrounded them and even the driveway was a little hidden. They left their bags in the car and decided to explore first.

A simple garden welcomed them through the front gate and the pavers leading up to the shack and along the verandah were well kept and tidy. The place didn't look very old and didn't appear to be weather beaten at all. Charlie unlocked the front door and they stepped inside. A light, fresh coolness inviting them in where they found a long corridor diverging off into different rooms along the way. Two bedrooms; one on the left of the corridor and one on the right were both fully furnished and had all the essentials for a holiday or break. Down the corridor a bit further and the second room on the left was the lounge room. It too was fully furnished as was the kitchen which was situated opposite. The corridor continued to the bathroom and a door leading out to the back. The shack was simple but cosy and the two girls smiled at the warmth it executed.

They brought their bags inside and unpacked a few of their things, trying to keep the place as tidy as it was when they'd arrived. Charlie reached up to check out some of the cupboards in the kitchen when Joey appeared behind her and grabbed her playfully around the waist, pushing her head forward over Charlie's shoulder and kissing her neck seductively.

"What was that for?" Charlie laughed and turned around, draping her arms around Joey's neck.

"For making everything so _perfect_," Joey replied with a huge smile.

"Well, you're very welcome. It's the least I can do. Really."

"Tell ya what." Joey dropped her hands from Charlie's waist. "Let's check out the surroundings. I say we start at the forest… out the back."

Charlie nodded. "Sure. I'll meet you out there, yeah? I just wanna check my phone. In case."

Joey nodded and spun around, shooting Charlie a cute smile before disappearing outside. Charlie went to her bag and switched on her phone, remembering she'd switched it off when she'd left in the hope of no distractions. There were four missed calls from Ruby. She sighed. Ruby was always clingy and Charlie knew they'd be calls finding out if everything was going okay. Finding out how it was all going. Whether Joey had made any more moves on her yet. If Ruby only _knew_…

There were also three from Hugo. Charlie didn't even give herself time to think about him. She switched her phone back off and went out the back to where Joey was waiting. He


	17. Chapter 17

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CHAPTER 17 CAREFREE

Charlie and Joey walked through the forest, hand in hand, remaining silent and taking in the beauty of the trees and sounds of nature. There was the odd time when an animal would run across in front of them and capture their attention for a few seconds. The pine trees lightly swished in the breeze and every now and then the sun would shine through a crack in the foliage before disappearing again.

"You sometimes forget this is all out here," Joey said, speaking for the first time since entering the forest.

Charlie nodded. "Yeah. I never knew it could be this nice." She sat down on the blanket of pine needles and leaned back on her elbows. Joey kept walking a few meters and stopped by a tree, placing her hand on it and looking deeper into the forest. She breathed in heavily, enjoying the fresh, cool air as it hit her lungs. She turned back to face Charlie who smiled at her.

"Brett and I used to live near a forest." Joey looked down at her feet and then back to Charlie. "Every Saturday morning before the sun came up we'd run out into the forest and hide because Dad always wanted us to clean the fish he'd brought in the night before from fishing. We lived more inland back then so Dad had to travel a fair distance to even go fishing but he did and our chore would be to clean them up for sale. Brett and I hated doing it so we hid. And Dad could never find us. Then we'd come out about lunch time when he'd done them himself and had them taken to town. He'd get so angry but we didn't care. It was all a game to us."

"Is that when he hit you?" Charlie soon grew concerned.

Joey nodded. "He hit me but never Brett. It wasn't just a soft smack either. I'd come out with a bruised jaw, legs or ribs. He said it was my fault and told me I had no brains like my mother."

"You should've told someone Joey… He shouldn't have been allowed to get away with it."

Joey shrugged. "It makes no difference now. Plus, all that's in the past now. And I want to forget about Brett too. All I care about is being with you."

Charlie smiled. "Thanks for telling me."

Joey took a step forward and raised an eyebrow. "Have I ever told you how _hot_ you are?"

Charlie laughed and looked away for a second before turning back to Joey. "Tell me again."

A grin crept across Joey's face as she approached Charlie and knelt down by her feet. She crawled over her until she they were face to face. She stretched forward and kissed her. "You…" She kissed her again. "Are…" And again. "Hot."

Charlie laughed as Joey rolled off and sat beside her. "You know the best thing about being out here? No distractions. Hey, did anyone try and call you?'

"Ruby." Charlie paused and knew she couldn't lie. "And Hugo."

Joey scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I really wish he'd lay off."

Charlie turned her head towards Joey. "I don't want to be with him."

"Does Ruby know about us?"

Charlie shook her head. "Well… I told her you liked me."

Joey raised her eyebrows. "Why?"

"It was when she caught us… that time."

"You should've told her the truth."

"That's the thing. I didn't _know_ what the truth _was_."

"You _kissed_ me, Charlie. You should've told her that!"

"I couldn't…"

"So… she probably thinks I'm out here trying to force my feelings on you."

Charlie sighed. "She won't think that. I'm… I just can't bring myself to tell her. To tell _anyone_."

"It's not that hard."

"But it is. You don't understand."

"You just need to tell them we're in love… that we want to be together." Joey reached her hand over and placed it on Charlie's. "That's what you want, right?"

Charlie paused. Of course she wanted it. She wanted it more than anything and she knew that because everything about this felt right. She just didn't want to tell anyone. She didn't even want to _see_ anyone else. Being alone with Joey was all she wanted. All she needed.

"Right?" Joey repeated, looking for confirmation.

Charlie nodded slowly. "Yes."

That was when they heard a car horn up near the house. They both got up and Joey took Charlie's hand, interlocking their fingers. Charlie paused and Joey tried to smile. "Whoever it is… We're going up there together. Like this."

"What if it's…" Charlie hesitated, realising how paranoid she was being. The truth was going to come out. She couldn't avoid it any more. "Okay." She gave Joey a short kiss indicating she was okay about it. That she was okay about everything. Completely content, they made their way up to the house. He


	18. Chapter 18

Thankyou for reviewing, you beautiful people! Hope this story is going where you want! Enjoy enjoy :)

CHAPTER 18 THE REAL PAIN

Charlie and Joey walked around the side of the house to greet their visitors out the front. When the two men turned to face them Charlie froze. She desperately tried to fight her hand out of Joey's grip but Joey wouldn't let her. She wasn't going to let her run scared. Not again.

The men looked down at their connected hands and then back into the faces of the two girls.

"Dad, what are you doing here?" Charlie tried to smile, to show him that she was pleased to see him. That she was glad he was getting out and about.

The other man stepped forward and spoke up. Steve. "I came to check that you two were settling in okay. Looks like you're… doing fine. I thought it might be nice to bring Ross out too."

Joey finally let Charlie slip her hand out as she made her way over to Ross and hugged him. "It's nice to see you Dad."

Ross just nodded. He was clearly taken aback by how he'd seen the two girls. Charlie thought she'd been ready. She thought she could face whoever it was. She just wished it hadn't been her dad.

"Why don't you come in for a coffee?" Joey suggested, moving towards the front door. Steve and Ross looked at each other and then headed inside. Charlie let her head drop back and she groaned softly. Joey gave her a reassuring smile and suddenly everything felt okay.

"I didn't… plan for this to happen, Dad." Charlie had her hands wrapped tightly around her mug, staring into it's contents and purposely avoiding eye contact with Ross. They'd taken over the lounge room for some privacy, leaving Joey and Steve in the kitchen.

"When _did_ it happen?" Ross looked directly at his daughter's face, searching for a clue. For something to tell him this was a joke. That they were just _good friends_.

Charlie shrugged. "A while ago. But I've been so confused Dad. I've tried to ignore it… to avoid it… to deny it. I've never felt like this before." She looked up into his eyes for the first time, her own eyes stinging with tears.

"Maybe you're just responding to her feelings for you."

Charlie almost laughed. "I've thought about that but I'm not. I never thought I'd be gay and I really don't understand it myself but Joey… Joey just makes me so happy. I haven't had this feeling for so long."

Ross leaned back in his seat and let out a deep breath. "I don't believe it's real, Charlie."

"Well, _I do_."

Ross stood up. "It's ridiculous. And I hope you realise that sooner rather than later."

Charlie stood up also, grabbing her Dad's arm. "Can't you be happy for me?"

"I don't know why you're doing this, Charlie. I don't know how all this has gotten into your head but it's disappointing."

"_Disappointing_? You don't know the _hell_ I've gone through over this! You don't know how many hours a day I've spent wondering what this means for me, why it's happened to me and whether it's _truly even me_. But I think I've spent long enough thinking about it and denying the truth that I've come to see that this is what I want. This wasn't an overnight decision!"

"Then why are you hiding from people?" Ross didn't realise how raised his voice was until he finished the sentence. His voiced boomed down on Charlie and she stepped back, not ever thinking her dad would act this way.

"Charlie… I thought I brought you up right. I thought you had morals. Why are you doing this?"

A tear rolled down Charlie's cheek and her voice came out as a whisper. "I'm not doing this on _purpose_."

Ross looked at his daughter for a minute. He saw her tears but he couldn't see her pain. Not her _real_ pain.

"Don't come and see me again until you've sorted yourself out." Ross's voice was close to a whisper. He hated saying that to Charlie but he couldn't grasp the fact that his first daughter wasn't going to settle down with a man and give him grandchildren. Grandchildren he wanted while he still had the mind to recognise them.

"Steve!" Ross headed to the front door and called out, indicating he was ready to leave.

"If you need anything Charlie, just give me a call." Steve poked his head into the lounge room giving her a sympathetic smile before following out after Ross.

Charlie heard the car drive off and couldn't believe how badly her dad had taken her news. She knew it would hit him hard and wanted him to be the last person she told. She broke down when she saw Joey standing in the doorway. She just wanted all of this to be _easy_. Joey automatically moved over to Charlie and wrapped her in a tight embrace. Charlie buried her head into Joey's shoulder, crying tears of pain but also relief. Joey was proud. She didn't expect Charlie's dad to take it so hard but she was proud that Charlie had defended their relationship. That she didn't deny her feelings and make up a bunch of excuses. Joey felt that this was a step in the right direction. For both of them.

"Are you okay?" Joey pulled away and cupped Charlie's face in her hands.

Charlie nodded slowly. "I had to be truthful. I couldn't lie to him. As much as I wanted to, I just couldn't lie."

"Well I'm proud of you." Joey smiled and kissed Charlie's forehead. A lingering, sweet kiss. One that made Charlie smile.

"I really didn't want him to be the first to find out but I'm glad it's done." Charlie wiped her eyes. "I just hope Ruby takes it a little better."

"Why don't you call her?" Joey suggested, resting her hand on Charlie's hip.

"No." Charlie shook her head. "I just want to enjoy this."

Joey smiled and nodded. "Me too." He


	19. Chapter 19

You guys are too sweet! Enjoy Chapter 19 :)

CHAPTER 19 ENCOUNTER

Charlie crawled into bed that night, still thinking about her dad. She'd been quiet ever since he'd left and Joey was worried that maybe she was getting cold feet. Charlie had insisted that she was fine but Joey knew better than to believe that. She felt like she _knew_ Charlie now, like they were just getting started and she didn't want her to back out now.

"Charlie." Joey's voice was a whisper. She slid into bed next to Charlie and worried about the small fact that she had her back towards her.

Joey moved closer and slightly leaned over her, enough so that she could see her face and stroke her hair.

"Joey I'm tired…" Charlie pulled the covers tighter around her and Joey felt like a massive wall had been built between them. Like the magical moments they'd shared were moments she only imagined.

"Please don't shut me out, Charlie." Joey didn't move. She tried to grab for Charlie's hand but Charlie retracted and pulled her hand in close to her face.

"What have I done wrong?" Joey's voice was almost pleading.

Charlie sighed and turned her face upwards so she could see Joey. Joey saw the tears. She was still hurting and Joey wanted more than anything to make it all better. "I'm sorry… it's not you. It's me."

Joey tried to laugh. "Now there's a classic line."

"Tell me honestly. Is it _wrong_ to be feeling like this? Is Dad right?"

"No. Only you know how you feel. Only you know when it's right."

"I hated seeing him like that, Joey. I don't want to lose him. I don't want to turn my back on him when he's not well." This time Charlie welcomed Joey's hand when she stroked her face.

"He'll come around. He loves you."

"What if he doesn't? And what if Ruby reacts exactly the same way?"

Joey smiled. "Then we'll deal with that if it happens. Together."

Charlie set her head back down on the pillow and pulled Joey's hand around her waist, holding it at her chest and stroking her fingers. Joey pressed her body close against Charlie's and tucked her head over Charlie's shoulder, lightly kissing her smooth cheek.

"Are you okay?" Joey asked after a moment, her voice in a whisper.

"Yeah," came Charlie's reply and convinced, Joey smiled and closed her eyes, falling asleep.

An hour passed when the two woke up in fright at a loud noise outside.

"Did you hear that?"

There was another loud bang and Joey tightened her hold around Charlie's waist. They both sat up after a moment and looked at each other, waiting to hear something more.

"Steve said there was a feral cat. Maybe it just knocked over some plants…" Charlie tried to stay calm but couldn't help her heart from racing.

"I'll check it out. It's probably nothing." Charlie flipped the covers off her and moved towards the doorway, disappearing from sight. Joey suddenly felt vulnerable and frightened without Charlie in the room. She had to smile at her bravery though. She was a cop after all and Joey was sure their one rule was to stare danger straight in the face.

Joey waited anxiously for Charlie to return and after ten minutes she knew something wasn't right. Her palms were sweaty and her heart raced, making her feel dizzy and light headed. She crept out to the corridor and looked both directions, not seeing anything.

In the next room, Charlie helplessly struggled against the rope that cut into her skin; both around her wrists and ankles. She tried to scream but the tape across her mouth stopped her from catching Joey's attention. She wriggled about, desperately wanting to break free but the knots on the rope were too tight. She simply couldn't do anything.

The gruff figure that stood over her smelt of alcohol, smoke and fish. A lethal combination. He quietly paced back and forth across the lounge room, keeping a keen eye on the helpless Charlie and waiting for Joey to appear at the door.

He smirked at Charlie and leaned down, his face only centimetres away. "It's taking your little girlfriend longer than I expected. Never mind. She'll show. Then she's _finished_."

A million thoughts raced through Charlie's head. She couldn't let him do anything to Joey. She couldn't let him even touch her. But she was so helpless. And she lacked energy. She felt like every single muscle had disintegrated after trying to struggle against her attacker as he tied her up. It was impossible to even warn Joey of the danger she would walk into and she knew Joey would come after her. Joey was always there. She wanted to protect Charlie just as much as Charlie wanted to protect her.

Suddenly there was a scuffle. Joey had appeared at the door and her arms were immediately twisted behind her back. She was pushed onto the floor and she tried to kick herself free. She screamed and threw her body around, desperate to escape. Rope burned into her skin as she felt it tighten around her wrists and then her ankles. She was thrust upwards and then chucked back onto the floor, being pulled into a sitting up position.

Her hair was pulled harshly as she was forced face to face with her worst nightmare. "Fancy seeing you here." Robbo twisted his mouth into a dirty grin and then he pushed Joey backwards harshly. "So nice to see you again." He


	20. Chapter 20

Sorry I haven't updated in a bit… I've been a little busy. But I have been looking forward to writing this next chapter so here it is for you wonderful people!

And I do apologise about the cliffhangers… but how else am I meant to keep you interested? :P

CHAPTER 20 PRAYING FOR A MIRACLE

It had been about ten minutes since the encounter but to Charlie and Joey, it felt like an hour had passed. Joey sat by the wall, her eyes fixed on Robbo watching his every move. She was too frightened to speak or even look in Charlie's direction. It would only make her remember that the one person who could save her was in exactly the same position as her. Completely defenceless.

Robbo stood by the doorway, watching the two girls sit quietly in fear. "I'm really enjoying this." He headed over to Charlie and knelt down in front of her, giving her a smirk. "I wanna see you save yourself." He ripped the tape from her mouth carelessly and Charlie flinched, trying to ignore the pain but still feeling the sting around her mouth.

Robbo laughed throatily. "What will I do with you?"

Charlie plucked up the courage to speak. "How did you get out?" The sentence came out as more of a statement than a question.

"What does it matter?" He stood up and moved towards Joey. "I'm here now. Following you did work to my favour. I knew it would."

"This isn't worth it, Robbo. Just let us go." Charlie kept a calm stature and a steady voice.

"Now why would I wanna do something like that?" He pulled Joey's hair and yanked her to her feet.

"Fine. Leave Joey the hell alone and take me instead." Charlie didn't care anymore. She couldn't let Robbo hurt Joey. Not again. "Come on. I'm sure that's always been a dream of yours. To hurt a cop."

Robbo smiled sarcastically. "Isn't this _cute_. Sacrificing yourself for your girlfriend."

"I'm serious, Robbo. _Leave her alone_."

Joey stood beside him, fear gripping her entire body. Just the touch of his hand sent chills down her spine. Robbo gripped her shoulder tightly, his fingers digging in deep.

"You see, that's where you're confused." He slung Joey roughly over his shoulder and made his way to the door. "I don't care about you. I've got what I came for."

"Robbo, come on…" Charlie was almost pleading. Her eyes met with Joey's when they left the room and her heart sank. Joey was pleading with her. She was petrified and Charlie couldn't do a thing. Her entire world felt like it had been crushed. Watching him take her away killed her. It pulled tightly on her heart and it became hard for her to breath.

"Robbo!" Charlie screamed, struggling extra hard against her bound arms and feet.

Charlie heard Joey cry out one last time before the back door slammed and the place fell silent. Charlie listened hard. All she could hear was her rapid breathing and her heart pounding hard against her chest.

That was when she heard car doors slam and a jumble of voices. She recognised them.

"Help!" Charlie screamed. "In here!" The voices stopped and the patter of feet on the verandah was the most welcoming and comforting sound Charlie had heard in a long time.

"Charlie!" It was Ruby.

"Here…" Charlie's voice was one of relief and gratitude.

"Oh my God!" Ruby froze when she saw her sister. Hugo and Steve soon appeared behind her, hurrying in and kneeling down beside her.

Suddenly there was the sound of car tyres spinning on the stone around the opposite side of the house.

Charlie panicked. "Go after that car!" She shouted, looking at Hugo and Steve with fear in her eyes. "Hurry! It's Robbo… he has Joey!" Hugo and Steve paused for a moment trying to comprehend what was happening. "Go!" Charlie shouted with more anger in her tone then she had meant. Hugo and Steve looked at her and then raced out of the room, instructing Ruby to stay with her sister.

Charlie was exhausted. She just wanted to collapse and know that Joey was safe. And she wished Robbo had taken her instead.

"Charlie…" Ruby knelt down beside her sister and struggled against the knots, untying her and then drawing her into a tight hug. "I was so scared… when they said… they said he was out." Ruby choked out her words amidst tears and panic, holding onto her sister and not wanting to let go.

Charlie pulled away from Ruby's grasp. "How did you know we were here?" She looked into Ruby's eyes and realised she had never been more happy to see her little sister.

Ruby wiped away her tears and held onto Charlie's hand tightly. "They called us… the police. They were looking for you. Then they told us that he was out… that Robbo had gotten out and that… that Joey was in danger. And you were with her… and I was so scared, Charlie. I couldn't lose you…"

"It's okay." Charlie squeezed her hand. "But… how did you know we were here?"

"We'd tried everything. And everywhere. So we went and saw Dad… you said you were going to be in the city so I thought maybe you were with him. Or that you had been. I know in his condition he probably wouldn't remember but I _hoped_." Ruby paused. "Steve was with him when we got there. And he told us. Me and Hugo, that is."

"I just hope Joey's okay…"

"They would've called the police." Ruby tried to maintain eye contact with her sister. "Hugo is such a nice guy. He was so worried…"

Charlie looked up. Obviously Steve hadn't told them about her and Joey. But now wasn't the right time. She wasn't going to load that onto Ruby right now. "Thankyou for finding us. I don't know what…" Charlie couldn't finish her sentence. She saw Joey's pleading eyes and choked up.

Ruby wrapped her arms around Charlie and pulled her back into a tight hug telling her it would be okay. Charlie dug her head into Ruby's shoulder and cried.

He


	21. Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21 STEPPING IN

Charlie and Ruby sat outside on the step of the verandah waiting. All they could do was wait. They hadn't heard anything in about half an hour and Charlie was growing anxious. She was sick to the pit of her stomach. And she promised she would never forgive herself if anything happened to Joey. She was supposed to be there for her. She was meant to look after her.

"I should call them again." Charlie picked up her phone.

"Charlie." Ruby stopped her. "They'll call when they know something."

"God, I'm just sick of waiting!" Charlie stood up clearly frustrated and ran her fingers through her hair. "It's dark and they're not even going to _see_ anything."

"They'll see the car." Ruby got up and put her hand on Charlie's arm. "You need to calm down."

"No." Charlie moved towards the front door. "I'm getting changed and then we're going."

"Going where?"

Charlie appeared back out the front about five minutes later. "Come on." She started to walk down the concealed driveway.

"What? No. Charlie, stop!" Ruby grabbed Charlie's wrist. "What are you doing?"

Charlie turned around. "We have to do _something_. We can't just sit around here waiting for them to find her. Ruby, please. I feel so helpless."

"You can't do anything at this time of night," Ruby reminded her. "It's too dark. Come on, Charlie. I know you're worried but it'll be okay."

That was when Charlie's phone rang and she answered it immediately, her heart pounding even harder than before. "Have you found her?"

"Charlie, it's Hugo. Robbo's gone but the cops are after him."

"And Joey? What about Joey? Is she okay?" Charlie was panicking. She felt Ruby grab her hand.

"She's… we had to get an ambulance. Listen, we're coming to pick you guys up now."

"What do you mean you had to get an ambulance?" Charlie felt all the blood rush to her face, feeling it boil inside her.

"We'll be there soon." Hugo hung up, avoiding telling Charlie what had happened. Charlie looked down at Ruby, tears forming in her eyes.

"What's going on?" Ruby was concerned.

"He wouldn't tell me." Charlie looked away down the driveway. "Something's happened to Joey but he wouldn't say."

Ruby didn't know what to say. All she could do was hold her sister and give her a blanket of comfort. Something to tell her that she was there for her.

A minute passed when Hugo came down the driveway and Charlie and Ruby jumped in.

"What's happened?" Charlie's voice was pleading. Pleading for an explanation. Pleading for some answers. She needed to know that Joey was okay.

Hugo took off, focussing on his driving while getting together the words in his head. "I don't know. We… found Joey in a ditch. Robbo was nowhere to be seen. He'd obviously dumped her and left her there. Done something to her. I don't know. She…" He looked at Charlie momentarily and saw the shock on her face. He saw the hurt and the pain and wished he hadn't said anything. "But she'll be okay. She's no doubt at the hospital right now."

"Is… is she okay?" Charlie choked out.

"I don't know." Hugo said truthfully.

As soon as they arrived at the hospital Charlie sought out Joey's room, anxious and worried. Joey was being checked out when Charlie appeared outside of the room.

"Are you family?" A nurse came out after a few moments and looked into Charlie's tear filled eyes.

Charlie shook her head after a moment. "I'm a… friend." Ruby appeared at her side.

"She's pretty bruised and battered but she'll be fine."

Charlie breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God."

"Can I ask what happened to her?"

"Ah." Charlie shook her head, realising that she didn't even know. She didn't know what Robbo had done to her. "Can I see her?"

The nurse nodded. "Sure."

Charlie moved slowly through the door and choked back tears when she saw Joey. She had a deep gash on the side of her head and minor cuts around her face, revealing that Robbo hadn't just dumped her.

Joey opened her eyes when she felt someone beside her. She tried to smile when she saw it was Charlie.

"Hey." Charlie returned the smile and pulled up a seat beside her. "Thank God you're okay. I was so worried…"

Joey feebly moved her hand toward Charlie's and held it loosely. Charlie looked down and tightened her grip, feeling like she couldn't ever let Joey go again. Like she never even wanted to.

"I'm sorry." A tear rolled down Charlie's cheek and she quickly wiped it away. "I should've protected you."

"Don't apologise, Charlie. Please. This wasn't your fault." Joey's voice was croaky and strained.

"How could I let him do this to you?" Charlie blamed herself. If they hadn't gone to the shack in the first place then none of this would've happened.

"_Don't_ blame yourself." Joey looked up at Charlie seriously.

"I was just so scared…"

"It's okay. I'm fine." Joey faintly smiled.

Charlie looked down and then back into Joey's eyes. "What happened? What did he do to you?"

"Hit me. Told me he wasn't finished with me." Joey forced a laugh. "Stuff I'm used to."

"And he left you there? In a ditch?"

"When he saw the headlights behind us he threw me out."

Charlie leaned forward and placed her hand lightly on Joey's face, stroking it softly and looking into those deep brown eyes and seeing the hurt that Robbo caused. She could tell Joey was trying to lighten the situation but deep down she knew that she was hurting.

There was a short silence between them before Joey turned her eyes toward the ceiling. "Why does this keep happening to me?" Her voice was a whisper this time.

Charlie squeezed her hand. "Oh Joey."

Joey turned back to Charlie as tears began to roll down her cheeks. "I don't understand."

"I don't know." Charlie wiped away her tears. "But it's stopping right here. Robbo won't be getting out again. I can promise you that."

"What if he does? What if he comes after me again?"

"He won't." Charlie reached over and kissed Joey's cheek softly. "Not if I have anything to do with it."He


	22. Chapter 22

Thankyou for your reviews, good faithful readers! Okay, JessicaTheGreat I do apologise that you had to do coursework… And I totally get it. I'm sick of study and I much prefer to write this then do uni work. Why do you think I update so often? :P

Enjoy!

CHAPTER 22 TIME

Charlie stayed with Joey that night. She couldn't sleep and she didn't want to so she sat beside Joey's bed and made sure she knew that she was there for her. Ruby had wanted Charlie to head home with her. Her and Hugo had tried to convince her but Charlie had told them otherwise. She couldn't leave Joey. Not after what had happened.

The morning soon came and Joey was the first to wake up, finding Charlie asleep in the chair beside her. Joey smiled and her heart skipped a beat. She couldn't believe how faithful Charlie was. How caring and loyal she was.

Joey propped herself up against her pillow and watched Charlie. She watched her chest rise with every breath and saw the peace across her face as her eyes remained closed. All Joey could do was smile. Nothing that happened last night even mattered anymore. Not when she had the most perfect thing in the world right next to her.

Charlie opened her eyes after a while and looked around her in a dazed state. She pushed her back up against the back of the chair and saw Joey grinning beside her.

"What… did I…" Charlie ran her fingers through her hair.

"Yeah, you stayed with me. Thankyou." Joey smiled.

Charlie stood up, stretching her legs. "How you doing?"

Joey nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine."

Charlie kissed her forehead. "Are they letting you out?"

"Yeah. And I'm glad too. I just want everything to go back to normal."

"And it will." Charlie stroked her face. "We'll get you back to Leah's where you can just take it easy."

"I still wish we could've enjoyed our break."

"Me too. Hey… I might grab a coffee. Did you want anything?"

Joey nodded. She grinned and grabbed Charlie's hand, pulling her towards her. Charlie let out a little laugh and leant in, kissing her softly and slowly.

"What the hell are you doing?" There was a shocked gasp from the doorway and the two parted instantly, Charlie backing away the minute she saw who it was.

"Charlie!" Ruby's voice was almost a plead, as if she was pleading for her sister to give her an explanation. One that would confirm that what she just saw was a misconception.

"Ruby…" Charlie began with a little more solitude then she wanted.

"Don't even _try_ and deny that, Charlie!" Ruby shook her head and ran off, leaving nothing but a trail of disgust and shock behind her.

Charlie automatically chased after her, finally managing to pull her to a halt in the corridor. "Ruby _please_."

"You can't deny it Charlie. Not this time." Ruby's eyes were filled with tears and it broke Charlie's heart. Did this really hurt her _that_ much?

Charlie bit her lip and then put her hand on Ruby's shoulder only to have it shrugged off. "I'm not going to deny it."

"That's disgusting." Ruby snarled. "You _disgust_ me!" She turned to walk off when Charlie grabbed her a bit too roughly by the arm.

"Hey! Why is this such a problem to you?"

"Because you didn't tell me, Charlie! And because you're not _gay_!" Ruby purposely put emphasis on the fact that she didn't agree with this. That she wasn't going to support this and that she was hurt by the fact that Charlie had lied to her this whole time.

"How do you know that I'm not? I don't even know what I am!"

"So… that other time I caught you. Were you on then too? Was that all in my head like you said or were you lying to me?"

"I didn't lie to you, Ruby." Charlie tried to grab for Ruby's hand but she wouldn't allow it. "Please, Ruby. I haven't lied to you. I've been confused. I don't even understand this myself but I know that I'm in love with Joey."

"You are _not_ in love with her!" Ruby scoffed, stepping backwards. "You're not because that's not who you are, Charlie. And I know that."

"Rubes…" Charlie tried to stop her but she was gone. She was upset, angry, shocked and confused but the one thing she didn't understand was that Charlie was too.

Charlie made her way back to Joey and closed the door behind her, not feeling like anymore unexpected visitors.

"She pretty much hates me." Charlie sat back down next to Joey and folded her hands over her head.

"Hey." Joey reached out for Charlie's hand but she wouldn't take it. "She'll come around."

Charlie sat for a moment and then leaned forward, realising that she couldn't doubt their relationship whenever it got a little hard. She sighed and faintly smiled at Joey. There _was_ something there and however much people tried to tell her otherwise, it only made her feel more strongly about Joey. No one was going to change her mind about this. Not even Ruby. Joey was right. She would come around. Maybe she just needed time.

"You never doubt this, do you?" Charlie smiled.

Joey shrugged. "Why would I doubt it? I know it's right."

Charlie reached forward and hugged her. If she could only have as much faith as Joey did then everything would be fine. However, she knew the more time she spent with her, the less she had to doubt about the relationship. It would only take time. Everything took


	23. Chapter 23

Thankyou thankyou once again for your lovely reviews! Here's some more Charlie/Joey mush for your reading pleasure!

Enjoy :)

CHAPTER 23 THE PASSION

When Charlie and Joey arrived back at Leah's that afternoon, nobody was home. Charlie was kind of glad that Ruby was at school and that she wouldn't have to face her again. She couldn't. Not yet.

"Are you doing okay?" Charlie sat down next to Joey on the couch.

Joey sighed and smiled. "Would you stop worrying?"

"I thought I was going to lose you." Charlie paused. "Again."

"I'm a lot tougher than you think." Joey instantly convinced Charlie with a smile that made her heart melt.

"Hey, we need to go back there to pick up our stuff." Charlie said after a moment.

"Not yet." Joey slid her hand onto Charlie's thigh. "I just wanna relax with you for a while." Joey leant in and kissed Charlie's neck, moving up over her jaw and meeting her lips.

Charlie had to force herself to pull away. As much as she wanted to get lost in the moment with Joey, she knew she had to play it safe. "Ruby could come home at any minute."

"So? She knows about us now, doesn't she?" Joey attacked Charlie's bottom lip with hers and slipped her hand around her waist, sending a deep passionate feeling all over Charlie's body.

"Joey please." Charlie hated having to push her away but she knew she had to protect her sister. She didn't want her to catch them again. Not while she was only just processing everything.

"Then let's go somewhere else. I know a great spot and it's private. Come on, Charlie." Joey stood up and grabbed both of Charlie's hands.

"I dunno… I kind of–"

"Look, if I don't have a distraction… Something to keep my mind off of last night, I reckon I'm gonna go crazy. Charlie… you're the only distraction I want."

Charlie knew Joey was right. She felt exactly the same way. Sitting around at Leah's was only going to make last night harder to forget so she smiled, pulling herself up to Joey's level.

"Now get your bathers on. It's down at the beach."

The two girls walked along the shore, their feet imprinting the soft sand. The sun was warm and there was a light breeze. They walked in comfortable silence, each lost in their own thoughts, reliving in their mind every feeling they felt when they were together. Joey wanted to just grab Charlie's hand and hold it, feeling the warmth and softness of her skin against her own. But there were people around and Charlie was wary of letting anyone else find out about them unexpectedly.

Joey led them far along the beach line, behind a myriad of rocks and beyond where anyone else went. They soon found themselves looking at the most beautiful beach. It was small and protected between shrubbery and rocks, leaving it secluded and private.

"Joey this is amazing…" Charlie was trying to find her breath. "How did you know about this place?"

"You see things when you're out on the open sea." Joey smiled and they moved away from the water where Charlie laid down her towel and dropped down her bag. Joey took off her t-shirt, revealing a blue tankini. She tightened the tie on her short board shorts and headed towards the water, dipping her feet in and feeling the embrace of it around her ankles.

"It's _so good_!" Joey called out to Charlie. "Hurry up!" She waded deeper in and dived down under the surface, coming up after a brief moment for breath. She turned towards the beach and lost her breath. The figure walking towards the water, the figure clad in a pink bikini, stole her attention. While she watched Charlie come towards her, the beauty of the beach seemed completely inferior. It just didn't compare. Charlie had a figure that any girl would die for and the longer Joey stared at the amazing, surreal breath taking beauty before her, she could feel her blood rush around her body, creating a strong desire to hold her and kiss her and show the entire world that she was hers.

Charlie waded closer to Joey, increasing the desire and increasing her pulse rate, something that could send her into a fit of pure bliss. "You're right."

Joey snapped out of her daze when Charlie reached her. "What?"

"You're right." Charlie slung her arms around Joey's neck. "It _is_ nice in."

Joey wrapped her arms around Charlie's waist and pulled them close, enjoying the sensation of Charlie's body against her own. "You are _so_ beautiful."

Charlie smiled and moved Joey's hair out of her face, placing her hand on her cheek and touching her lips softly with her fingers. She always found Joey attractive but right now, right at this moment, she seemed even more so. She enjoyed the way her hair seemed darker when it was wet and found the droplets of water on her face a comfort that she was real. That she wasn't just a figment of Charlie's imagination.

Joey smiled and ran her hands up and down Charlie's bare back, making her heart beat faster. Joey always did this to her. _If she keeps doing this to me_, Charlie thought, _I might just pass out_.

"So are you." Charlie leaned in and kissed Joey's neck, her face hidden from Joey but keenly reminding her she was still there with light successive kisses up her neck and stopping at her jaw line.

"How did we get here?" Joey asked, resting her hands on Charlie's lower back, a position she wanted to remain in forever.

"What do you mean?" Charlie turned her eyes into Joey's.

"I never thought I'd have a chance with you, Charlie. I feel like I don't even deserve you but here you are. You're only making all my dreams come true."

"I was about to give up on love." Charlie smiled. "And then I met you."

Joey returned the smile and then released her arms from around Charlie's waist, pushing her away. "Race you to the cliff and back. The winner gets a massage."

Before Charlie had a chance to say anything Joey had taken off, her kicking creating a slight splash behind her. Charlie grinned and raced after her, not letting her out of her sight for a minute.

"You let me win, didn't you?" Charlie had her arms crossed in front of her, resting her head on them with her eyes closed, enjoying the feeling of tender fingers relaxing her muscles.

"Now why would I want to do that?" Joey grinned as she knelt beside Charlie, running her hands sensually over her bare back.

Charlie rolled over onto her back after a few minutes and looked up into Joey's eyes. "Thankyou for bringing me here. It's perfect."

Joey smiled and leaned down, pressing her lips against Charlie's. Charlie pushed her fingers up through Joey's semi-wet hair and explored her mouth with her tongue, their lips colliding with every steady motion of the kiss. The intensity of the moment grew and Joey subconsciously slung one leg over Charlie, their bodies now pressing close together, increasing the blissful feeling of their intimacy.

Joey caressed Charlie's face as the kiss continued and Charlie didn't want to be anywhere else. Not when Joey's body was so close and her lips felt so soft. Not when she had her fingers entangled in her hair and everything about it felt so right.

The need for air soon forced the two apart, Joey remaining on top of Charlie for a moment, looking down into her eyes and breathing heavily, a smile plastered across her face. Charlie returned the smile, indicating she had enjoyed the moment just as much as Joey had. Joey's head spun as she imagined it going further, knowing it easily could have had she not respected Charlie's wishes and taken things one step at a time. She began to wonder whether they would ever go further. Whether that moment she longed for would ever come. Whether she would ever feel _all_ of Charlie.

Joey rolled off after a moment and lay down next to Charlie, keeping their bodies close and keeping their desires to feel each other's warmth fulfilled. Joey slid her hand across Charlie's stomach, tracing patterns with her fingers on her skin while propping herself up on her elbow, maintaining eye contact with her perfect girl. Charlie turned her head to face Joey and caressed her cheek, allowing herself to get lost in her gorgeous brown eyes.

"I love you," Joey whispered.

Charlie smiled, stroked Joey's hair and responded with genuine emotion. "I love you too." He


	24. Chapter 24

Thankyou once again. You know I love you guys! Enjoy :) Oh yeah… and I apologise about the stray letters at the end of each chapter. I honestly don't know why it does that but there you go.

CHAPTER 24 COMING OUT

After spending no longer then they needed at the shack, Charlie and Joey arrived back at Leah's in time for dinner. Being back in that place and having the memories of last night flood back was not helping the recovery process for either of them. Neither of them spoke a word while they grabbed their things and left as quickly as possible. Neither of them quite knowing what to say.

"You guys should've asked me." Leah dished out the meal as Charlie, Joey and VJ lingered around the table. "I could've picked up your stuff."

Charlie shook her head. "No, it's fine. We just both want to forget about it now." She looked across at Joey and Joey slightly smiled.

"Did he have a gun?" VJ looked from Joey to Charlie, unnecessary excitement in his eyes.

"VJ!" Leah scowled, placing the plates on the table.

"What?" VJ shrugged and sat down, picking up his knife and fork.

"Wait, please." Leah warned him and he set them back down, slouching down into his chair.

"I'll get Ruby." Charlie knocked on Ruby's door. "Rubes, dinner."

"I'm not hungry." Came Ruby's nonchalant reply.

"You have to eat, Ruby. Come on." Charlie was disappointed that Ruby hadn't come around at all since earlier. She still sensed that Ruby was angry and hurt but she didn't know how to fix it. She couldn't ignore her feelings just to keep her sister on her side.

The bedroom door suddenly flung open and an irritated Ruby pushed passed. "Fine."

Conversation around the table was stunted and Leah could tell that something was going on. Ruby was irritated and Charlie was unusually quiet. Joey was the only one who attempted to initiate conversation, which seemed to only include Leah and the odd remark from VJ.

Leah decided to speak up. "Is everything alright between you guys?" She looked from Charlie to Ruby.

Charlie nodded and forced a smile. "I'm just a bit tired. And still a bit shaken from last night."

"You didn't seem too affected this morning," Ruby snapped, keeping her eyes downcast.

"What do you mean?" Leah asked.

"Oh, didn't you know?" Ruby looked at Leah, showing no concern that this was a sensitive issue and that Charlie might have wanted to keep things quiet for a while. "Charlie's gay. And I didn't even know. Funny, isn't it? I've only spent the past seventeen years with her."

Leah narrowed her eyebrows, confused. "Hang on… what?"

"She's gay, Leah," Ruby repeated standing up. "Her and Joey are on together. Apparently. _Apparently_ they're in love." She looked at her sister's shocked expression for a moment and rolled her eyes. "Come on, Charlie. If it's so _real_ then you wouldn't care who knows." Ruby shook her head condescendingly and disappeared to her room.

"But they're both _girls_," VJ said, not even understanding what was going on.

Only just remembering VJ was in the room, Leah touched his arm. "Why don't you take your dinner into the lounge room and watch some TV."

"But I'm never allowed–"

"Consider it your lucky day." Leah smiled. "Off you go, mate."

VJ raised his eyebrows before taking off to the lounge room, breaking the silence he left in the kitchen with the blaring of the TV.

"When did this happen?" Leah was still trying to get her head around it. She turned to Charlie who had her eyes turned down, avoiding eye contact.

"Not that long ago." Joey realised Charlie wasn't going to answer so she stepped in. "But it's only really just… happened."

"Wow." Leah leaned back in her chair. "So I'm guessing Ruby didn't take it all too well?"

Charlie looked up. "I didn't even get a chance to tell her. She kinda just… walked in on us. At the hospital this morning."

Leah sat there nodding.

"Leah, I really need your support." Charlie took Joey's hand. "_We_ really need your support."

Leah nodded. "Yeah of course, Charlie. I don't know where this has come from but I _will_ support you."

"Thankyou." Charlie smiled. "I don't really know where it's come from either but it's happened and I've only just accepted it. But yeah, Ruby isn't making it easy at all."

"Have you talked to her about it? At all?" Leah asked.

"I can't. She won't even let me explain."

"Why don't you give it another shot? I'm sure she'll come around. She _loves_ you."

Charlie nodded. She knew that if she could only make Ruby see how much she loved Joey and that these feelings were real, then perhaps they'd have a chance to work things out.

Joey gave Charlie's hand a squeeze before she made her way towards Ruby's room.

"Rubes? Can I come in?" Charlie knocked softly. There was no answer. Charlie opened the door a crack and saw Ruby lying on her bed, staring at the roof. Charlie stepped in and took a seat beside her.

"I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to tell you."

Ruby didn't move a muscle. Her eyes were glued to the ceiling.

"This hasn't been easy for me, Ruby…" Charlie's voice came out strained. "You don't know how long I've agonised over this."

Ruby snapped her attention to Charlie. "So it _was_ a decision!"

"Yeah, it was. A decision to follow my feelings for Joey or ignore them! I didn't just _decide_ to be gay, Ruby!"

"This isn't like you, Charlie…" Ruby's voice was almost a plead.

"I don't know why I had to develop these feelings Ruby, but I have. I can't deny them anymore. I spent too long trying to ignore how I felt…"

"I don't understand…" Ruby sat up. "You've always liked men. And I should _know_ that."

Charlie let out a slight laugh. "I don't understand it either."

Ruby forced a short silence. "So you want me to support you, huh?"

Charlie nodded. "More than anything."

Ruby sighed. "Everything's gonna change."

Charlie put her hand on Ruby's arm. "No it won't. I'm still the same person I was before I fell in love with Joey…"

"You do know what this means for you life, right? People are gonna look at you differently."

"Do you think I haven't spent hours worrying myself sick over thinking stuff like that? It's just that when I'm with Joey, I don't care."

"What about when you're not with her?"

Charlie paused. She knew things were different when wasn't around Joey. When she didn't feel her presence beside her. Her guard would come crashing down and she'd feel small and vulnerable. Not like when she was with Joey…

"Are you sure this is what you want, Charles?" Ruby looked into her eyes, sensing the fear of her choice.

Charlie swallowed hard. "It is."

Ruby slowly nodded and looked down, leaving them to sit in silence. "Are we still gonna hang out?"

Charlie smiled and stroked Ruby's hair. "Of course we are."

Ruby returned the smile and pulled her sister into a hug. "Okay. If you're happy and you're really sure then… so am I."

Charlie held Ruby tightly, feeling extremely grateful that she'd changed her mind. "I love you so much. Thankyou."

Ruby pulled away and grinned. "It's okay. Well, as long as Joey doesn't consume _all_ your free time." He

Charlie laughed. She was so lucky to have a sister like Ruby. But she couldn't help but think about what she'd said. Everything _would_ change. She'd be spoken about. Judged. And what did it mean for her place at work? Could she live her life the same as before or would she have to change how she went about things? Being in love with a girl instead of a guy was such an insignificant thing to her, but to everyone else, it was such a big deal.


	25. Chapter 25

Thanks heaps for your reviews. Enjoy :)

CHAPTER 25 AN UNCOMFORTABLE REALISATION

Charlie and Joey lay in bed the next morning, neither of them wanting to move. Charlie had decided to go back to work but instantly regretted it when she felt so comfortable next to Joey.

"I wish you didn't have to go." Joey stroked Charlie's hair.

Charlie smiled and kissed her lips softly. "Let's have breakfast at the diner. My shout."

Charlie went to get up but Joey pulled her back down, rolling closer and kissing her passionately. As much as Charlie wanted this moment to last forever, she pulled away, grinning at Joey before rolling off the bed and getting herself organised.

Charlie was the first to walk into the Diner and her heart nearly exploded through her chest when she saw Ruby grabbing Trey by the shirt, shouting at him and pushing him backwards. She ran over, pulling Ruby back and looking from her to Trey.

"So the rumours are true." Trey laughed when he saw Joey appear behind Charlie.

"Shut the hell up!" Ruby shouted, lunging at Trey again. Charlie grabbed her arm and held her back, immediately realising what all this was about.

"I'm not saying it's a bad thing either Constable!" Trey turned to his mates and they all erupted into laughter. Charlie felt a lump in her throat. She wasn't prepared for this. Not yet anyway.

"Just because you can't get a girl of your own to get hard over!" Ruby spat, anger burning through her entire body. She knew she wasn't just angry at Trey for commenting on her sister and Joey but she was also embarrassed.

"Ruby that's enough," Charlie hissed. "Let's just go."

"I guess it's easier having a lesbian sister, knowing that she's not gonna come onto you." Trey grinned at Ruby. "Or have you two already experimented?"

"You're sick!" Ruby forced herself free of Charlie's grasp and pushed Trey hard in the chest.

The entire Diner had stopped what they were doing and had their focus on the scuffle. Colleen was in a flap, keeping herself safe behind the counter and yelling at the two to keep it down.

Charlie grabbed Ruby by the arm and dragged her outside, not wanting to hear anymore of Trey's disgusting remarks.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Charlie looked Ruby directly in the eyes, trying to decipher her behaviour.

"Didn't you hear what he was saying?" Ruby said, her eyes full of anger and frustration.

"That gives you no right. Ruby, you should've just walked away."

"How could I?" Ruby felt tears forming. "I'm not going to let him get away with spreading crap about you!"

"It's okay Rubes…" Charlie tried to reassure her sister. But to no avail.

"He's a pig, Charlie." Ruby blinked away the tears. "He has no right to say any of that. It's none of his business."

"It was inevitable that something like this would happen." Charlie placed her hand on Ruby's cheek. "I'm sorry that you had to get caught up in it…"

"It's okay. I'll be fine." Ruby forced a smile. A fake smile. "I'll seeya later."

Charlie watched her sister walk away. She _hated_ the fact that Ruby would cop the flack for this and didn't even stop to consider how it would affect her. Was she being selfish?

"Charlie…" Joey ran her hand down Charlie's arm, attempting to comfort her.

Charlie pulled her hand away. "I have to get to work." And without another word, Charlie was gone. He


	26. Chapter 26

Sorry the last chapter was so short… hopefully this makes up for it! Enjoy!

CHAPTER 26 FRIENDLY REMINDER

Charlie drew her knees up to her chin, tears staining her face. She'd ignored the calls from work and didn't feel like seeing anyone. She didn't want to move from her spot on the beach. Not when she felt so ashamed like she did. Not when she felt like her relationship with Joey wasn't worth all this pain. Every beautiful and special moment they shared together was nice for a while but there was the reality of everything else. There were people she had to think about, a reputation to uphold and a career to continue with. She had to protect Ruby. She had to protect _herself_.

"I hope gayness doesn't run in the family!" Charlie looked up to where Trey and his mates were walking by. She winced at that single word. Gay. But she _wasn't_ gay. She didn't _like_ other girls. It was _just Joey_. "Because I wouldn't mind a bit of your sister!" Why wasn't that jerk at school? Charlie had a sudden urge to tackle him into the water and hold his head under. To watch him in the same pain he was lumping on her. She held herself down though and waited until they'd passed. She then got up and took off up the bank and back towards Leah's before she carried out the desire to hurt Trey.

That was when she saw someone she didn't want to see. She stopped for a moment and they stared, neither of them taking a step forward. Charlie knew this was an indication that he'd heard the rumours. She took off after a moment, hoping he wouldn't stop her. Hoping he'd just leave her alone.

"Charlie." There was no luck in that happening. She stopped and turned towards him. "Are you okay?" He looked like he wanted to comfort her with a light touch but changed his mind. As much as Charlie denied it, deep down she wanted company. She needed a friendly face right now.

Charlie looked up at him. "Hugo…"

"Ruby told me some kids were giving you a hard time." He gave a little smile. "Just ignore them. It's none of their business."

"It's not that easy." They automatically made their way to a bench overlooking the ocean and sat down, leaving a slight gap between them.

"When did this happen? Can I ask?"

Charlie shrugged. "A while ago." She was tired of explaining herself and she didn't want to go into details. She didn't want to justify her relationship with Joey. Especially not to Hugo.

"Charlie, it's your life. Don't let those jerks put you off what you want."

Charlie looked at Hugo. He wasn't asking her questions. He wasn't prying or finding some way to blame her for messing him around. As much as he liked her and wanted to be with her, he knew it wasn't up to him. If Charlie didn't feel the same way then what was the point?

"See… I don't even know if it's worth it anymore." Charlie was surprised to hear herself say these words. Was she really saying that all the hours she agonised over her feelings were just a waste of time? That she was prepared to go back to where it all began and begin to deny her feelings all over again?

"What do you mean?"

"All this pain and the judgement. I don't know if I can deal with it. I didn't realise it would be _this hard_."

"I guess it's not the ideal outcome but you're strong, Charlie. You can do anything if you really want to."

Charlie sighed, a single tear rolling down her cheek. She leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees. "I don't know if I want to do this anymore."

"Trey's only a kid." Hugo didn't take his eyes off Charlie. "He's only stirring you because he knows Ruby and he knows it'll get a reaction out of her. He's not deliberately trying to hurt you."

"It sure as hell feels like it."

"Things will calm down. You just need to stick it out."

There was a short silence before Charlie leaned back against the bench and looked out to sea. "When we're alone I'm just _so sure_. Everything feels so right and so perfect and I _know_ my feelings for her are strong. But then when we're in public I just get so insecure. I'm so worried about how people will see me and how people will react. It's like the surety of everything is taken away the moment we step outside our little world. I don't want it to always be like that…"

Hugo paused and then closed the gap between them. Charlie turned her head to face him, trying to work out how she felt with him so close to her. Whether she got the same sensation she got when she was with Joey.

"You know how I feel about you, Charlie." Hugo gave her a smile. "But I also respect your decision. Love is a powerful thing and we can't help who we fall for."

Charlie clenched her teeth. Her love for Joey was something she'd never experienced before. Something beautiful and amazing. But it was just _so_ complicated. There was Joey but there was also Hugo. A strong, thoughtful, caring man. Someone she could easily settle down with. Someone with whom she could spend time with and not have to worry about what people thought of her. There was so much promise there.

"Hugo… I…"

Hugo stood up. "I'll let you think about what I said."

"Hugo wait…" Charlie stood up too. What did she want to say? She didn't know but she sure as hell didn't want to think about it. She didn't want to think about anything. Especially not when things were already so complicated.

She looked deep in his eyes, wanting nothing more than to get lost in them like she did with Joey. She just wanted to kiss his lips and feel like she did when she kissed Joey. She wanted them to lie side by side, arms around each other and get the same feeling like when she fell asleep beside Joey. But she knew she couldn't. There was only one person who could set off those feelings inside her and it wasn't Hugo.

"I'm in love with Joey…" Charlie forced a laugh. "I wish it was you, believe me. Things would be so much easier. But I'm not going to walk away from Joey. I _can't_."

Hugo nodded and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Then I respect that. You're a great person, Charlie. And you're strong. Don't let this get you down." He gave her a smile and walked away, leaving a simple peace between them. Something that told her she couldn't give up on Joey. She wouldn't do that to her. Not again. He


	27. Chapter 27

Thanks heaps for your reviews. I hope this isn't going too slowly and you're not getting bored yet! I'm so glad you're still reading 27 chapters in!

CHAPTER 27 A BOLD STATEMENT

Charlie headed towards Leah's. The talk with Hugo had unusually shaken her up and given her a fresh perspective. She was in love with Joey. Yes, that had been established. She wasn't ashamed of Joey even though she felt that way, and she wasn't ashamed of herself. She simply wanted people to accept her decision. Like Hugo had. In a perfect world, people could fall in love with whoever they pleased and they wouldn't be attacked for acting on those feelings.

The minute Charlie walked inside the house, she saw Joey and it was as if the entire world stopped turning.

"Hey." Joey didn't smile. She carried on drying the dishes with no more than a single word.

"How you doing?" Charlie took a step towards her.

"I'm fine. Don't you have work?" Joey placed the tea towel down and turned to face her.

"This morning freaked me out a little. Joey, I'm sorry…"

"Are you doubting us? Again? Just because some kid can't string together a sentence without being a tool?"

"No." Charlie moved closer and took Joey's hand. "No. I think I _wanted_ to doubt it. I just wanted to walk away from everything there and then but the truth is… I can't."

Joey looked down and squeezed Charlie's hand. "It scares me when you don't tell me how you feel."

Charlie smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I get that and I'm sorry. I can promise you though that I'll never walk away again. And I'm not ashamed of what we have."

Joey moved forward and kissed Charlie's lips, sliding her arms slowly around her. Pulling away she said, "Prove it."

Walking to the Diner, Charlie kept her fingers tightly weaved through Joey's. They were going to make a statement. A bold statement and they were going to be proud of it. Charlie set aside her insecurities for a moment as she wanted to show Joey that this relationship was real. That they shouldn't have to hide it from anyone.

Charlie's heart pounded as they reached the Diner. She was nervous as hell and couldn't believe she was actually doing this. That she would be revealing to her friends this long kept secret.

"Ready?" Joey squeezed her hand and received a smile from Charlie.

They walked inside. Rachel, Tony, Martha and Hugo turned to face them and Roman stopped when he came out from the kitchen. All eyes were on them.

Colleen, completely oblivious to what was going on, took out her notepad. "What can I get for you guys?"

Joey ignored her and faced the audience of people. "Charlie and I are together." She projected her voice throughout the Diner and looked up at Charlie. "And if you don't like it then you can stick it."

Heads turned to face their friends, chatter erupting over what people had just witnessed. Charlie turned to her friends who looked at them in shock, trying to process what they had just heard.

"Together?" Tony was the first to speak.

Charlie smiled and nodded, her palms sweaty and clammy. She waited for someone to speak.

"That was… out of the blue." Rachel turned to Hugo, and then back to Charlie. She smiled though. "But… good for you guys, I guess!"

The others nodded in agreement. Charlie was relieved how they'd taken it. She was glad they didn't wave a judging finger in her direction and had chosen to accept it. Charlie looked at Joey and smiled, indicating that she was thankful they'd done this. Now that it was out in the open, they could finally relax. Charlie had the support of the people she cared most about. Suddenly she didn't care what Trey thought of it because he didn't matter to her. She knew her friends would talk and discuss this situation but their reaction was proof that they weren't going to gossip and judge them.

"Why don't you guys join us?" Martha invited with a kind smile.

Charlie smiled. This was how she wanted things to be. This was her perfect world. He


	28. Chapter 28

Thanks for reviewing :) And thanks for your continued reading! Much appreciated.

CHAPTER 28 A SPECIAL MOMENT

It was late that night when Charlie and Joey were sitting on the beach, enjoying each other's company and the sound of the gentle waves on the shore. There didn't need to be words. Not at this hour and not at this moment. They enjoyed having no one else around, not a soul to be seen, and could quite easily stay out the entire night.

"We should get back." Joey turned to Charlie after a moment.

Charlie sighed. "But it's so nice out here. Just sitting here with you."

"But back at Leah's there's a bed…" Joey grinned and leaned over to kiss Charlie's lips lightly. "And we could snuggle…" She kissed her again. "Or ya know… whatever." She grinned cheekily, running her hand up and down Charlie's thigh.

Charlie returned the grin and raised an eyebrow. "How could I pass up such an offer?" She stood up and pulled Joey to her feet, grabbing her playfully around the waist and kissing her neck.

Joey laughed, took Charlie's hand tightly in her own and they headed back up to Leah's. As soon as they were in the shadows, they began to regret staying out so late. They were both still jumpy since the night with Robbo and heading home in the dark, where no one else was around, was a bad idea. Even if it _was_ Summer Bay.

They were relieved when they got home safely, entering the house quietly to find everyone else in bed. They crept to Charlie's room and closed the door, making the most of the privacy they had. Smiling at the fact that they were alone, that they could just be together without any interruptions. That they could just focus on each other and revel in each other's company.

They lay down on the bed, Joey making sure there was no space between them. No wall or boundaries. And neither of them cared that they didn't have their own space.

"I love you, Senior Constable Buckton."

Charlie could see a grin on Joey's face as the moon shed just enough light through the window for her to make out all her gorgeous features. The features she loved so much.

"I love you too." Charlie leaned forward and kissed Joey. The kind of kiss that made them both forget where they were and who they were. They didn't need to know anything but how they felt.

Joey felt Charlie's hands explore her body, giving her goosebumps and making the need to be with her all the more intense. She suddenly felt Charlie lift up her shirt, their kiss being stalled for a moment as Joey let her pull it over her head. Was Charlie really going to give her what she wanted?

They paused for a moment, keeping their eyes locked on each other, as if a conversation was being had through their eyes. As if they didn't even need to talk anymore. They just _knew_ what the other was thinking.

Joey eventually smiled and leaned back in, their passionate kiss continuing. She unbuttoned Charlie's shirt, pulling it off her and immediately locked their lips again, her brow sweaty, not ever thinking Charlie would let things go this far. Her fingers nervously fought against the clasp on Charlie's bra and when she felt it come loose, she slowly slipped it off, allowing her eyes to wander to the two peaks on Charlie's chest. The most beautiful asset a woman had.

Charlie looked up at Joey who was leaning over her. She swallowed hard, suddenly nervous about where this was going.

Joey, noticing Charlie's hesitant expression, smiled and led her hands up to the clasp on her own bra. Charlie undid the clasp and Joey's shy smile indicated she'd never done this with anyone. Charlie had been here before but this was new to her as well. She'd never been here with a _girl_. She didn't realise how much she could appreciate another woman's body and found it hard to comprehend the way she was feeling.

"You're beautiful," Joey whispered softly and surely, leaning down so their bodies were pressed together. So she could kiss Charlie and feel the warmth of her body against her own.

Charlie's hands wandered as the kiss intensified, their breathing picking up. Charlie soon found the buckle of Joey's jeans and she didn't hesitate. This was exactly what she wanted to be doing. This moment was special and because no one knew, because they were the only ones there, she let go. She did everything she wanted to do and she didn't have to be ashamed. She didn't have to worry. She could just love Joey and treat her the way she deserved. The way they both deserved.


	29. Chapter 29

Thankyou so much for reading and reviewing! You guys are pure awesome! I know you love the mushy stuff so enjoy ;)

CHAPTER 29 THE FEELING

Charlie and Joey, both wrapped up in the bed sheets, lay beside each other the next morning, having woken to the sound of Leah hurrying VJ up. Joey rolled onto her side, her bare body pressing up against Charlie's, sending her heart racing all over again. She tucked her nose into Charlie's neck and kissed her collarbone. Charlie turned to face her, sliding her leg between Joey's so they were in a tangle of bliss.

Beneath the sheets, Joey's hand explored Charlie's bare skin, her hand lightly gliding over her stomach and then over her breasts, coming to rest against her ribs. She remembered last night and how amazing it had been. She'd never felt so wanted before and so in love. The night had been everything she imagined it to be.

Charlie kissed the end of Joey's nose lightly and then smiled, realising just how beautiful she felt when she was with Joey. She'd feel dirty and wrong when Leah's voice had woken her earlier on, snapping her back to reality. But the feeling of Joey's body against her own instantly told her she didn't have to worry. That she didn't have to feel dirty just because she was lying in bed naked with another girl.

Joey leaned forward to kiss Charlie. A lingering kiss. One that let Charlie feel Joey's small, humble breasts brushing against her own and sending a tingling sensation all over her body. She ran her clammy hand up and down Joey's back, kissing her back, reliving last night. Remembering how it had felt to be in a simple embrace, tasting and feeling the one person in the world she really, truly, deeply loved.

Joey stroked Charlie's face, their faces so close that every breath could be felt warm against their skin. "I never thought… things would ever come to this."

"Really?" Charlie ran her fingers along the back of Joey's neck and then sending them through her dark hair.

"I've longed for this moment ever since I met you." Joey gave a small smile. "And now it's happening. And it's even more perfect then what I first imagined."

Charlie sighed and rolled onto her back. "I could just stay here _forever_."

Joey moved forward and leaned over her. "Then call in sick today." She gave Charlie a light kiss.

Charlie giggled. "I can't. They're not happy about me not showing up yesterday."

"Tell them there's an emergency." Joey gave a grin and leant in, kissing Charlie's neck seductively, making her want last night to happen all over again.

"Joey…" Charlie gave a slight laugh, sliding her arms around Joey's back, the light kisses on her neck making her want more.

"Do it." Joey continued, being as persuasive as hell. So persuasive that Charlie almost gave in.

"I have to go." Charlie pushed Joey's shoulders softly.

Joey paused but sighed and fell onto her back, looking up at Charlie with raised eyebrows and a cheeky grin. Charlie couldn't resist. She kissed her and then wrapped a sheet around her and went to get up.

Joey grabbed at the sheet, stopping her from moving. Charlie looked back.

"What are you doing?" Joey didn't let go.

"I have to get ready, Joey."

"Leave the sheet." Joey kept a strong clasp on the sheet, giving it a little tug. "I want to see your beautiful body."

Charlie, turning a shade of crimson, hesitated. Surely Joey had seen her last night but now it felt different. She was embarrassed.

Joey smiled at her. A smile that stole away all her fears. Charlie let the sheet drop and she stood up, allowing Joey's eyes to wander all over her body. Joey lost her breath for a moment and couldn't peel her eyes from the beauty that stood before her. She was so fit and toned and _perfect_. She had a body to kill for.

Joey sat up. She crawled across the bed and slung her arms around Charlie's neck, their bodies so close once again. Charlie instantly felt the warmth and let her hands rest on Joey's hips, their lips coming into contact and their tongues aching from so much work but they didn't care.

The kiss could've lasted a lifetime. They could've fell back against the soft mattress and could've just _been_. But Charlie pulled herself away, kissing Joey's neck lightly before picking up a towel and slinging it around herself. Joey draped the sheets back over her, their perfect moment having ended too soon for either of their liking. But they were content and they were lost in each other's eyes for a moment before Charlie smiled, gripped the doorknob and headed to the shower.

Joey sprawled out on the bed, inhaling everything that it had done for them last night. How everything had so perfectly come together. She smiled and placed her hand on the pillow where Charlie's head had been. How had she been so lucky? Surely she must have done something right. She must've. To wind up with someone like Charlie was pure luck for anyone and Joey knew that she could never let her slip away. She had to do everything she could to keep her. She didn't want to lose this feeling. Not now. Not ever.


	30. Chapter 30

Thankyou so much for your reviews. Please keep reading!

CHAPTER 30 ONE STEP AT A TIME

Joey met up with Charlie for lunch that day, still running on a high from their perfect night together. She sat at a table in the Diner and waited, checking her watch every minute, feeling so anxious to see Charlie again. She hated being apart from her, even if it was just a few hours.

"Hey." A smile broke out on Charlie's face when she approached the table and sat down.

"Hey yourself." Joey grinned, her eyes wandering to Charlie's shirt, fighting the urge to unbutton it there and then.

"How you doing?" Charlie couldn't wipe the smile from her face. Seeing Joey again since this morning brought her so much joy. She was all she could think about. Whenever she tried to knuckle down to some work, Joey appeared in her mind, making her heart race and forcing a smile across her face.

"I missed you." Joey leaned forward and grabbed Charlie's hand, stroking her fingers lightly.

Charlie grinned. "Well you wouldn't get out of my head. All morning."

Joey giggled and then lowered her voice. "I just wanna _rip_ your shirt off."

Charlie let out a subdued laugh and looked around, grinning from ear to ear. "Shh!"

"I can't help it that you look so damn hot." Joey grinned, biting her lip seductively and raising an eyebrow.

Charlie licked her lip thoughtfully before pulling Joey out of the Diner. She dragged her down to a sheltered part of the beach and dug her fingers into Joey's hair, unable to hold back any longer. Joey received the kiss with delight before she fell against the sand, pulling Charlie down on top of her. Their kiss continued with so much heat and passion that there could have easily been a repeat of last night.

"Wait… what if someone–" Charlie pulled her lips away, looking down at Joey.

"Just shut up and kiss me."

Joey's hands had a mind of their own, wrapping up around Charlie and subconsciously pulling her down closer.

"Oh my God, okay!"

Charlie immediately rolled off and Joey sat up, suppressing a giggle as they found themselves caught out by Ruby and Xavier.

"Wow, okay…" Ruby turned away. "I really did not need to see that!"

Charlie got to her feet, brushing the sand from her. "Rubes…"

Ruby turned back, a smile breaking out on her face. "It's okay, Charlie. I'm fine about it, remember? I just could've done without seeing that!"

Charlie looked away embarrassed but failed to wipe away her smile.

Joey stood up in a bid to break the ice. "What are you guys doing here anyway?"

"Xavier and I usually–" Ruby immediately stopped herself, suddenly realising she was about to reveal what they got up to at lunch times.

Charlie turned to her sister, her smile broadening. "Who's putting their foot in it now?"

Ruby rolled her eyes and grabbed Xavier's hand. "Whatever. Look, if you want to continue… well… okay, we're just gonna go now."

When they'd gone, Charlie turned to Joey searching for something to say, both of them still slightly embarrassed about being caught. "We should, um, maybe get some lunch."

Joey laughed. "Yeah. I think I've been satisfied until tonight."

Charlie pressed her lips against Joey's, feeling so grateful to be with her. She took her hand and they headed back towards the Diner, both of them still smiling.

"Joey!"

A gruff voice was heard behind them and they turned around to find Brett making his way over. "Where the hell have you been? I've been looking everywhere, Jo. It would've been nice if you'd answered your mobile."

Joey kept a straight face. "You made it pretty clear that you didn't want anything to do with me."

Brett rolled his eyes and then narrowed his eyebrows. "Mum contacted me."

Joey's expression soon changed to shock. "What? When?"

"This morning. She wants to see you."

Joey swallowed hard. "Who the hell does she think she is? She can't just expect to walk back into my life after fifteen years!"

"I just thought I'd warn you." Brett glanced across at Charlie and then back to Joey. "I told her you were here."

Joey's voice lowered. "What does she want?"

Brett shrugged. "Beats me."

There was an awkward pause between the two before Brett turned to walk away. "I just thought I'd let you know. That's all."

"Brett." Joey grabbed his arm. "I still love you…"

Brett clenched his teeth. He wanted to let his sister know he still cared as well but he held back, still hating what she was doing with Charlie. "Seeya."

Joey watched him walk away, tears filling her eyes. "He hates me."

Charlie slid her arm around Joey's waist, pulling her close. "He came to tell you about your mum. That must count for something, right?"

Joey turned and looked into Charlie's eyes. "What will I say to her?"

"How about 'Hi, how are you?'" Charlie slightly smiled.

Joey's worried expression didn't change. "I mean about us. Is she going to disown me as well?"

Charlie stroked Joey's hair. She could empathise. She knew how it felt to worry what people thought and now the tables had turned. Charlie pulled her into a tight hug, pressing her lips against Joey's neck before bringing them up to her ear. "We'll deal with that when it happens. One step at a time."


	31. Chapter 31

Once again, thankyou for reviewing. Hope you enjoy the Charlie/Joey mushy moments… because that's all you get in this chapter!

CHAPTER 31 SO MUCH BETTER

Charlie stepped through her room late that night to find Joey leaning back against the pillows with a book in her hand. The sight of her made her heart skip a beat, making her realise how much she'd missed her since lunch time.

"Hey." Joey said warmly, a smile playing on her face. She put down her book and sat up. "I was wondering when you were coming home."

"Yeah, sorry." Charlie sat on the edge of the bed and took off her shoes before crawling over to where Joey was sitting. "Long day." She gave her a quick kiss. "How are you going? You know, since we saw Brett."

Joey looked down and nodded. "Fine." She brought her eyes up to meet Charlie's and slid her fingers around her neck, pressing their lips together and avoiding a conversation about her mum.

Charlie sensed the tension and pulled away. "Joey… do you wanna talk about it?"

Joey shook her head and leaned back in for another try.

"Joey, come on…" Charlie dodged the kiss and put her hand on Joey's arm.

"Charlie, please!" Joey snapped, retracting her arm from Charlie's touch and looking at her with irritation.

"I just thought…"

"I don't even want to _think_ about her at the moment!" Joey was clearly annoyed that Charlie had brought it up. The more she thought about it, the more she worried. She'd found that her and Charlie had only just gotten things on track when this had to go and happen. But until it did, until Joey actually came into contact with her mum, she just wanted to enjoy herself. Because she knew it wasn't going to be a smooth ride.

"I'm sorry." Charlie apologised, sincerity engulfing her eyes.

"I just want to _be_ with you." Joey shuffled forward on the bed until the two were touching. "And until Mum actually shows up, I just want to be happy. I don't want to talk about it, or think about it or _cry_ over it. Charlie, you know I love you. That's all that matters right now."

Charlie smiled softly, taking Joey's hand and leaning in for a kiss. They let their hands wander. They let themselves wipe everything from their minds and they didn't hesitate to fight off each other's clothes, having realised the other night how comfortable they'd been without feeling the need to hide any part of them away.

Joey softly pushed Charlie down onto the bed, her lips travelling down Charlie's neck and across her collarbone. Charlie closed her eyes, letting out a soft groan, indicating she didn't want Joey to stop. She ran her hands down Joey's back, realising how clammy they were and she smiled at the effect Joey had on her.

Joey's kisses continued down Charlie's chest and lingered on her breasts, increasing the rate of Charlie's heart beat, until she was sure it couldn't possibly go any quicker. She'd never been so aroused before. With men it was all about sex. Once they were satisfied, nothing else mattered to them. With Joey, it was like she knew just how to please her. That with another woman, it was almost a given that she would hit all the right spots. But it wasn't just any woman; it was Joey. She was the only one Charlie wanted to be doing this with. And she was so good at it. She was so capable of turning Charlie on and making her dizzy with excitement.

Joey shuffled down, her kisses stopping at Charlie's belly button. Her sweet, seductive lips not in contact with Charlie's skin anymore and Charlie instantly missed it. She longed for it. She wanted more. There was a pause and all either of them could hear was their heavy breathing.

"Joey…" Charlie whispered.

Joey slid herself back up to Charlie, their warm, sweaty bodies pressed together. She could feel Charlie's chest rising with every heavy breath and she kissed her lips, feeling Charlie pulling her closer.

"Joey… keep going." Charlie managed to whisper through a brief break in their kiss.

It wasn't long until they were both satisfied, lying on top of the covers, beaming with exuberance.

Joey rolled onto her side, her smile taking up half her face. She ran her hand softly up and down the inside of Charlie's thigh.

Charlie couldn't repress her smile as she rolled over to face Joey, bringing their lips only millimetres away from each other.

"You make me feel _so special_," Joey whispered, looking deeply into Charlie's eyes and finding nothing but happiness and love staring back at her.

Charlie caressed Joey's face lightly, brushing their noses together lightly before pecking her softly on the lips. "You make me feel insanely happy." She felt like she could just stare into Joey's beautiful brown eyes for the rest of eternity and never get sick of it. The nights she spent with her were by the far the most breath taking, beautiful and special nights of her life. Nights that seemed to be so much more beautiful than anything she had with Roman or- God forbid- Angelo. Nothing could compare.

Joey slid her hand slowly up Charlie's body to come to rest on her waist, her fingers softly stroking Charlie's skin. She closed her eyes and with a smile still plastered on her face she whispered, "I love you."

Charlie held her lips against Joey's for a few seconds, her smile not even close to disappearing. "I love you too."


	32. Chapter 32

Thankyou so much for continuing to read this :) And for all your lovely reviews! You know they always make my day! Sorry I was a bit slow in updating… and if this chapter sounds crap I apologise for that too!

CHAPTER 32 UNEXPECTED

Charlie watched Joey in a serene state of sleep. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she leaned forward and softly kissed Joey's forehead, careful not to wake her. She slipped out from under the covers and after taking one last look at her beautiful girl, she left the room.

Charlie arrived back at the house after an hour of thoughtful jogging. She found Joey in the kitchen, biting her way through a piece of toast lathered with strawberry jam.

"Morning." Charlie smiled, her hand swiping over Joey's shoulders as she made her way to the sink.

"Hey, you left early. I missed waking up to you." Joey took a sip of her juice before having another bite of her toast.

Charlie poured herself a glass of water and then sat down beside Joey. "Yeah sorry. I wanted to get a jog in before work."

Joey nodded. "How'd you sleep?"

Charlie grinned. "Fine. After such a great night, how could I not?"

Joey smiled. "Yeah, it _was_ great. It was _really really _nice. Thankyou."

"Hey." Charlie leaned forward. "You've got a bit of something there." She kissed Joey's lips lovingly before pulling away, leaving a cheeky grin on Joey's face.

"Did you get it off?" Joey raised an eyebrow.

Charlie shook her head. "No… I don't think I did." She grinned before moving in again, making the next kiss longer and more passionate.

"Hellooo!"

The two parted, noticing Ruby walk in with a brief roll of the eyes.

"Get a room, would you?" Ruby grinned. She'd grown on the idea of her sister and Joey and felt happy for them. She didn't think she ever would after first hearing of the idea, but she noticed how happy Charlie was. They _both_ were.

"Maybe we should," Joey said cheekily, her face glowing.

"Gross!" Ruby grabbed something from the fridge, shot Charlie a smile and disappeared.

"I have to get ready for work. But maybe we could raincheck on that? How about tonight?" Charlie stood up, a huge grin plastered on her face. She bent down beside Joey and kissed her neck.

"You're on." Joey turned her head and captured Charlie's lips with her own before Charlie headed to the shower.

Joey watched her as she left the room, taking a mental picture of the beauty she'd just kissed. Who she'd just spent an amazing night with. How could she get so lucky? It was as if all her dreams were coming true. Like she'd left the world of pain and depression and stepped directly into one filled with joy and happiness.

She couldn't wipe the smile from her face as she finished her breakfast and carried her plate to the sink, giving it a rinse and not for one second letting her mind wander from Charlie. Her amazing long, tanned legs. Her toned, sexy body. The way her gorgeous brown hair cascaded down her shoulders. Everything about her was to die for. And she had her all to herself.

Upon turning around, Joey saw someone that turned her smile into a look of shock. It felt as if every happy thought she'd had just a few seconds ago were stolen away from her. Like she'd only been given a certain amount of time to be happy and now that time was up.

"Mum?" Joey was glued to the spot. Even though she hadn't seen her mum for so long, she still recognised her. She still knew it was her.

"My Joanna…" Her mum stayed in the doorway, not wanting to step inside until she was invited to. The sight of her daughter made her want to rush over and pull her into a tight hug but she knew she couldn't. She gave up those rights when she left.

"Why are you here, Mum?" Joey still didn't move. And she didn't give her any indication that she wanted her to come inside.

"Can I come in?" She was pleading Joey with her eyes.

"I want to know what you're doing here." Joey couldn't just invite her in. She couldn't make her a coffee and sit down with her. She hadn't seen her in fifteen years. She'd left her with a father that hurt her, who blamed her for everything, who didn't care. How could she forgive her for doing that?

"I came to see you…" Her mum took a small step forward.

"Stop!" Joey exclaimed a tad more harshly than she realised. "Just… stop."

They stood in silence for what seemed like an age, neither of them speaking and neither of them knowing what to say. Now that she'd seen her, Joey just wanted her to leave. She wanted more than anything for her mum to just turn around and go back to where she'd come from. She wanted her to leave her in peace. To leave her and _Charlie_ in peace.

"Let me in Jo…" Her mum's words were like a desperate plea.

Joey moved forward slowly, keeping her eyes locked on her mum. On the short dark hair that had been swept back in the wind. On her pale face. On tired eyes and dark circles beneath them. She was a mess. Joey knew that she was here for a reason other than to just see her. Other than for a casual visit. There was something wrong. She was in trouble or needed something. Surely.

Joey imagined Brett telling her to nick off. To find _her_ so that she could deal with their mum instead. Brett wouldn't want any part in this.

"Hey Joey, wish you had've joined me in the shower. It would–" Charlie froze when she got to the kitchen and saw a bedraggled woman standing in the doorway. She instantly wanted to take back her words. Was this Joey's mum? Charlie swallowed hard, her eyes meeting Joey's. A simple sorry.

"Charlie… this is my mum. Julie." Joey's face remained expressionless.

Charlie nodded in acknowledgement. Julie returned the acknowledgement with nothing more than a look of subtle disgust. Of shock. Of many different emotions that responded to Charlie's desires. She turned her gaze towards Joey where she desperately tried to search her face for answers. For something to tell her this wasn't what it looked like.

Joey knew she had to be straight. She knew she had to be honest. She had always told Charlie to be honest with people, to be honest with herself and how she felt. Now she had to do the same. She wasn't ashamed of being with Charlie so what did it matter?

"This is Charlie." Joey moved towards her and took her hand. "My girlfriend."


	33. Chapter 33

Aw thanks for reviewing. It's a pleasure to write this for you guys :) Enjoy!

CHAPTER 33 BLAST FROM THE PAST

Joey had been away with Julie for almost an hour and Charlie was becoming impatient. She'd called into work and told them she had something to take care of. She knew she wouldn't be able to concentrate so she didn't see the point in going. She just wanted so desperately to know why Julie was here. To know what they were talking about and why they were taking so long to return.

Meanwhile, Joey walked beside her mum, the waves crashing softly around their ankles. Neither of them had started a conversation since they'd left the house. Neither of them knew what to say. Joey had so many questions but she was so worried that maybe she didn't want to hear any of the answers.

"I'm sorry."

Joey turned to her mum when she heard those two words. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end and she felt goosebumps prickle her skin. She stopped walking and Julie turned to face her.

"This is my fault."

"What?" Joey questioned, her eyes catching a close view of her mum. She could trace every wrinkle in her face and noticed every grey hair that stood out amongst the thick dark strands. She didn't remember much of her mum but she never remembered her like _this_.

"It's my fault that you've turned gay."

Joey rolled her eyes and took a deep breath, shaking her head. "I've always been gay."

"No you haven't. People aren't _just_ gay. They decide to be gay."

"I didn't decide to be gay. I didn't grow up being attracted to boys. I was always attracted to _girls_. That's just how it is." Joey looked down at her feet and then held up her head, holding onto her dignity by the last thread.

"No you _didn't_, Joanna!"

"Don't _call_ me that! My name's _Joey_!"

"Listen to me young lady–"

"Why are you here, Mum?" Joey deliberately cut her off, not wanting to hear authority from someone who abandoned her when she was still young.

Julie stood in silence. She looked through Joey like she was a piece of glass, her eyes glossing over and her expression becoming blank.

"Come on, tell me what you're doing here!"

Julie turned away and began walking again only to be pulled roughly to a halt by Joey, her eyes burning through her.

"I've got nowhere else to go…" Tears began to stream down Julie's cheeks, her voice breaking into a whisper.

"What do you mean?" A feeling of compassion swept over Joey.

Julie breathed out slowly. "I'll tell you in time. Right now I just need somewhere to stay. Please can I stay with you?"

"I already feel like I'm crowding Leah out…"

"Joey please…"

Joey sighed. Her mum was clearly in some sort of trouble and Joey only felt for her. She _was_ her mother and as much as she wanted to hate her, she just couldn't. "Some friends of mine own a caravan park. I'm sure we can work something out with them."

"Really? You'd do that?"

"I'm hardly going to leave you on the streets, am I?"

Joey started walking along the beach again. Her toes dug into the sand and it reminded her of Charlie. Charlie. What was she going to be thinking? Would she still be at the house waiting for them to return?

"We should get back." Joey turned around.

"Jo… I should tell you as well. Brett wanted you to know that a girl named Chelsea phoned him. She was after you."

Joey froze at the sound of her name. Chelsea. Her heart began to beat a little quicker. Her palms became sweaty. "What… what did she want?"

Julie shrugged. "Who is she?"

Joey couldn't believe this was happening. This _couldn't_ be happening. "No one. Look, we should just get back."

As much as she tried to ignore this simple fact and the image that soon appeared in her mind, she just couldn't. Why was all this happening to her _now_? Why did her mum have to appear out of nowhere right _now_? Why did Chelsea have to pop back up again _now_? Why when everything was _so good_ with Charlie? The thought of Charlie being shoved into the background amidst all these long lost distractions was something she didn't want to even think about. She just feared their relationship would suffer because of it. That everything good they had would just disappear. And as much as Joey vowed herself not to let this happen, the thought of it occurring without realisation was always in the back of her mind. And it would be unless she did something about it.

They soon returned home to find Charlie still hanging around, becoming more apprehensive by the second.

"Hey." All of Joey's fears soon evaporated the second she saw Charlie.

Charlie grabbed Joey's hand and kissed her, an indication that she was worried about her.

"Oh for God's sake, Joanna." A not so subtle scoff from Julie drew them apart, their hands remaining interwoven.

"Excuse me?" Joey twisted her face into a look of anger.

"Can you just _stop_ this charade?"

"What _charade_?" Joey spat back at her.

"This pretend lesbian fling. It's just utterly ridiculous."

"Where the hell do you get off?" Charlie let go off Joey's hand and took a step toward Julie.

"You dragged her into this, didn't you?" Julie sneered.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Joey narrowed her eyebrows. "I agree to set you up in the caravan park because you come to me with a sob story and you just treat me like _this_?"

"I wouldn't have to if you had any brains in your head!"

"Don't you dare talk to her like that!" Charlie looked about ready to strike her but held back, realising it wouldn't be a smart move in her position.

"You can forget about the caravan park." Joey lowered her voice and shook her head. "You're a joke."

Julie remained quiet for a few moments before sighing. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Jo. It just… freaked me out a little."

"I won't let you manipulate me." Joey pushed her out the door. "You can just get the hell out."

"Jo, please…" Julie's eyes were pleading.

"Until you accept Charlie and I as a couple then I don't ever want to see your face again." Joey gave her a look of disgust before closing the door, turning to Charlie and fighting back tears.

Charlie stroked her face. "Are you okay?"

"I thought that maybe we'd have a chance after our walk on the beach." Joey sighed, a single tear sliding down her cheek. "She's the only family left that I thought I could have a decent relationship with. Guess I was wrong."

"Hey…" Charlie gave Joey's cheek a soft kiss before pulling her into a tight hug. "You've still got me. And I promise I won't go anywhere."

As Joey buried her head in Charlie's shoulder, her mind wandered back to Chelsea. She squeezed her eyes closed and inhaled Charlie's perfume, forcing her to switch her thoughts to the nights they'd spent together. Those perfect, special nights. She promised herself that she couldn't let anything come between them. Not even Chelsea.


	34. Chapter 34

Thanks for keeping on reading! I'm glad you guys are enjoying it. And I also must apologise for having all the names so similar- Joey/Julie, Charlie/Chelsea- I didn't even realise until I read it back. Hope it's not too confusing! Enjoy :)

CHAPTER 34 OLD FEELINGS

Joey sat in the Diner for the rest of the morning after Charlie had gone to work. She couldn't bring herself to do _anything_. She knew her mum would still be in Summer Bay. She didn't pick her to be the type to give up on something so easily. Even if it meant getting Joey to realise that she wasn't gay.

Joey toyed with the menu in her hands, brushing off Colleen whenever she came over to take her order. She didn't want to eat anything. She just wanted to sit.

"Joey Collins!"

Joey snapped out of her daydream when she heard her name, instantly turning around to see _Chelsea_ make her way over. She looked shocked to see Joey there but Joey knew better. She'd been looking for her.

"Joey!" Chelsea repeated, her hand sailing across Joey's shoulders as she sat down opposite her.

"What are you… what are you doing here?" Joey looked at her inquisitively.

Chelsea still had the same flowing blonde hair and her green eyes still danced like her life was a musical and she was the lead. Nothing about her had changed. Not one thing.

Chelsea's smile faded when Joey posed the question. "Brett called and told me you wanted to see me. He said it was urgent."

"Mum told me that you called Brett…"

"Wait, your mum?"

Joey sighed. Chelsea knew her history. She knew that her dad had died in a car accident and that her mum had left when she was younger. She knew a lot about Joey's early years.

"Okay…" Chelsea paused. "I did find it a bit weird that Brett called me. I didn't think he'd ever speak to me again."

Suddenly it clicked. Joey began to piece everything together. Brett had dumped Chelsea when he found out that she'd fallen for Joey. That she was gay. That she'd only gone out with Brett to get close to Joey. He'd completely flipped out. The one thing he didn't know however, was that Joey had also fallen for Chelsea. That their feelings for each other were mutual. And being the loyal and beautiful person that Chelsea was, she didn't say anything to Brett. She knew it'd tear him apart. She knew it'd tear Joey apart.

Joey rolled her eyes when she realised the game Brett was playing. He'd cottoned on to the fact that there probably was something going on between them and by bringing Chelsea back into her life, it would tear her and Charlie apart. It would destroy her relationships. Joey couldn't believe Brett had done this. She couldn't believe he hated her gayness _that_ much. And she couldn't believe that his plan might actually work.

"I'm sorry… It's just then when he said it was urgent–"

Joey shook her head and cut her off. "It's not your fault. He's _sick_."

"But why would he want to get us together? I don't get it…" Chelsea hadn't pieced any of this together. But then again, she didn't know about Charlie.

There was an awkward silence between the two, their eyes not meeting. They were uncomfortable. They didn't know what to say. Just like Joey and her mum.

"Maybe… maybe this is _fate_." Chelsea paused before stretching out her hand and stroking Joey's arm lightly, hoping for a positive reaction. Something to tell her that Joey was still into the idea.

Joey couldn't push her off. Chelsea's touch left a trail of goosebumps. It made Joey's heart beat that little bit faster. She still had it.

"Maybe Brett's changed?" Chelsea tried to smile, thinking the most positive thing she could. Seeing Joey again set fireworks off inside of her. She'd always made her smile. There was so much potential there. If Brett hadn't threatened her out of his life then she knew her and Joey would be happy. That they could've made something work.

"Brett hasn't changed…" Joey looked down.

Chelsea gripped Joey's hand and reached up to her face with the other, caressing her cheek. Ignoring the fact that they were in a public place. "Who cares about Brett, anyway? Isn't this about us?"

Joey wanted to push her hands off. She wanted to tell Chelsea to leave her alone. She needed to tell her about Charlie, that she had someone special in her life already. She just couldn't bring herself to.

"Hey…"

Chelsea pulled her hands away when she noticed a uniformed figure approach them. "Oh, hi Officer. Is this about my car? The red one? I'll move it right away. I can't afford a ticket right now, that's all."

Charlie's focus was on Joey though. She searched her face for answers. She wanted her to tell her that this wasn't what it looked like but she never got the line she wanted to hear.

"Charlie… um, this is Chelsea." Joey couldn't bring herself to look into Charlie's eyes. She'd been caught and she knew Charlie wasn't happy.

Charlie acknowledged her with a slight nod of the head. She hated this girl already.

"Hi." Chelsea beamed, relieved this wasn't about a parking fine. "Nice to meet you!" She stretched out her hand to shake.

Charlie didn't accept it. She shook her head and then turned and headed straight back outside. _Chelsea?_ She wasn't even that pretty. Okay, maybe she was a little. Maybe she had a nice personality. But what did she have that Charlie didn't? Charlie felt her heart sink when she realised Joey hadn't followed her out. What was_ happening?_

Back inside the Diner, Chelsea bit her lip but gave a little smile. "Maybe she's had a bad day at work!"

"Chelsea, don't…"

"What?" Chelsea was confused. She'd only tried to be friendly. The first friend of Joey's she'd met and she already felt like she didn't fit in.

"Charlie's my girlfriend."

Charlie stormed across to the illegally parked red car, her face in a twist of anger and frustration. How dare that prissy little slut touch _her_ girlfriend. She pulled out a notepad and scrawled down every minor offence that she could think of, her pencil pressing so hard against the page that it almost ripped the paper. She tore it off angrily, jerking up the windscreen wiper and carelessly flicking it back down, securing the fine underneath it. She spat on the bonnet of the car and walked away, feeling a little bit better.


	35. Chapter 35

Thankyou for your reviews. They give me heaps of encouragement. Enjoy.

CHAPTER 35 COMPETITION

"Joey, wait up!" Chelsea ran after Joey as she took off down to the beach. Joey's toes sunk into the soft sand but she pushed herself along, wanting so desperately to run away from everything.

"Hey!" Chelsea eventually caught up, grabbing Joey's arm and pulling her to a halt. "You didn't tell me you were with someone. How was I supposed to _know?_"

"Yeah, well I'm with Charlie, okay?" Joey snapped, not even realising how erratic she was being about all of this.

"Then why didn't you _tell_ me?" Chelsea pleaded.

"I did, didn't I?" Joey turned to walk away but Chelsea stopped her.

"After she rocked up and caught me with my hands all over you." Chelsea didn't break their eye contact for a second. "Look… I'm sorry I came back."

"Why did you come back, Chels?" Joey's tone turned into one of softness and her eyes searched deep within Chelsea's eyes.

"Brett said you needed to see me."

"No… I mean, why did you _really _come back?"

Chelsea paused and looked down, watching her toes dig down under the sand. "Because I thought… I thought now we'd have a chance."

Joey swallowed hard. She'd fallen for Chelsea bad when she was fifteen. All she wanted back then was to be with her and not feel ashamed about it. She wanted back then what she had with Charlie now.

"I guess I was wrong."

Joey remained silent.

"Wasn't I?"

Joey looked away, shrugging and shaking her head. She and Chelsea had a history. Chelsea knew so much about her and somehow, maybe _this_ felt right. Maybe this _was_ fate.

"Do you _really_ want to be with Charlie?" Chelsea tried to catch Joey's eyes but she wouldn't look at her. She remained focussed on the sand below them.

Joey could see how _sure_ Chelsea was about who she was. Charlie doubted herself all the time. She'd doubted their relationship so often. It had just taken them so long to get to this point that she began to wonder whether their relationship could be strong enough to last. But it was _Charlie_. She was the girl Joey had fought so hard for and they'd both worked so hard to get to this stage and for once, they were happy. And they were both content.

"Yes." Joey lifted her eyes to meet Chelsea's. "I do."

Chelsea gave a small smile. "I don't believe you."

"But I _do_. I _love_ her."

Chelsea gently took hold of Joey's hand, waiting to be pushed away but finding that she wasn't. "There was a point in time when I thought you loved me."

Joey shrugged. "Me too. But it never would have worked. You know that."

"Not with Brett around, no. But he's out of the picture now, Jo…" Chelsea stroked Joey's hair and stepped closer so their bodies were almost touching.

"Have you not been listening to me?" Joey stepped back, letting go of Chelsea's hand. "I'm with _Charlie_ now."

"And I don't believe you're comfortable with her. I won't give up on you." Chelsea gave her a fleeting smile before being the first to turn and walk away.

As Joey made her way to the police station, she began to wonder how she could be so stupid to even _consider_ leaving Charlie. That _she_ would be the one to doubt their relationship. Charlie was the strongest, sweetest, most caring, beautiful woman Joey had ever known. She just hated the fact that Chelsea was back and had brought up all these old feelings. Feelings she thought were dead and buried.

Joey knocked on the door to Charlie's office.

"What?" Came a shout of frustration.

Joey hesitated before pushing the door open slowly and stepping in. Charlie looked up and upon sighing, she put her head back down and began writing down some notes. "I'm busy, Joey."

"I need to apologise for this morning." Joey walked over to her desk.

"Apologise for what?" Charlie didn't look up. She pretended that she hadn't noticed anything earlier on and she was trying to believe it. The less she knew the better.

Joey saw through this though. "Chelsea's an old friend. There used to be… I dunno… something there. But nothing ever happened. We were never 'together'. She just… she turned up out of the blue." Joey knew she had to be completely honest. She knew lies only caused trouble.

"But she wants to get with you, right?"

"I don't know." So maybe there was nothing wrong with one small lie. "But it doesn't matter anyway, does it? I want to be with you and _only_ you."

Charlie set down her pen before standing up. "I hated seeing her with her hands all over you."

Joey stepped forward and gave a little smile. "I much prefer your hands anyway."

A grin spread across Charlie's face and she placed her hand on Joey's cheek. "I can beat her with this though." Charlie leant forward and kissed Joey's lips.

When they parted, Joey smiled. "Yeah, that was alright. But I know you can do better than that." They went in for another kiss, this time ending in a warm embrace. Joey pushed her nose into Charlie's neck, smelling her sweet perfume and being reminded that _this_ was what she wanted. She didn't want anything with Chelsea even though she knew there were still _some_ feelings there. She wouldn't do that to Charlie. She couldn't. Not when things could be so good with her. But one thing played in the back of her mind: Chelsea vowing not to give up on her. Joey just hoped her relationship with Charlie would be strong enough to survive. That she, in particular, wouldn't give into this temptation.


	36. Chapter 36

Hey guys. Sorry this chapter's so short! And if the last one was rubbish I'm sorry too- I wrote it at 2 in the morning. Anyhoo… thanks for reading :)

CHAPTER 36 CONFRONTATION

Charlie was heading home from work, glad to have made up with Joey, when she saw a familiar looking blonde sitting on a bench overlooking the sea. Charlie's knuckles grew white as she tightened her grip on the steering wheel. She jerked the wheel quickly and pulled into a car park.

Walking over to Chelsea, Charlie felt anger boil inside her. She wanted nothing more than to slap the bitch down. To rip out her hair and kick her out of town but she knew she had to keep her composure.

"Hey!" Charlie shouted, approaching Chelsea. "Stay away from Joey, okay?"

Chelsea stood up. "Look… I don't want any trouble."

"Then get out of town."

"I can't."

"Why the hell not? It's not hard to pack up your things and leave."

"I've already secured a place as a nurse at the hospital. And I really want this job…"

Charlie scoffed, hardly believing what she was hearing. A nurse. Was a nurse better than a cop? Was a nurse more attractive or appealing? Would Joey find a nurse better in bed? "You can't be serious…"

"Look, I know Joey's your girlfriend. I get that, okay? I'm not going to steal her, if that's what you're thinking."

"Just stay away from her." Charlie clenched her teeth, not even understanding why she was threatening Chelsea. Surely Joey wouldn't leave her… Not after everything they'd been through.

"You have nothing to worry about, okay?" Chelsea paused. "Unless of course your relationship isn't that stable."

Was their relationship stable? Charlie knew they were in love and that their feelings for each other were _strong_ but how strong was their relationship as a _whole_. Would another nasty remark concerning Charlie's sexuality throw her off the edge? Would everything crumble if it came back to that?

"I've known Joey for some time and I know for a fact that we still have a connection. If you guys aren't making the most of your relationship then let her go, Charlie."

"Like hell I will!" Charlie was shocked that Chelsea would even suggest such a thing. She was never going to let Joey go.

Chelsea raised her eyebrows and began to walk away. "Then you better watch your back."

Charlie was stunned. What was Chelsea planning? She desperately wanted to believe that their relationship could conquer anything, but there was a massive doubt lurking at the back of her mind. She wondered how much Joey _really_ wanted to be with her.

"Oh by the way." Chelsea turned around. "Thanks for the parking ticket. Just don't expect your position as a cop will run me out of town. I know what I came for and I won't be leaving until I get it."

Charlie swallowed hard. She shook her head and walked quickly to her car. What a _nasty_ piece of work. This wasn't a game. She hated the way Chelsea spoke to her but she'd be damned if she was going to let Joey slip away. She wasn't going to let an end come the best feeling in the world. She just couldn't.


	37. Chapter 37

Thankyou so much for lovely reviews! Keep on reading :)

CHAPTER 37 HONESTY

Charlie didn't see Joey that night. She wasn't there for dinner and the rest of the night she spent wondering whether Joey had heard about the little confrontation with Chelsea. She'd tried her mobile a number of times to no avail and as her anxiousness grew, she wanted more than ever to go out and find her.

"You need to chill out." Ruby sat down beside Charlie on the couch, the TV causing a small distraction for Charlie to focus on.

"What if Chelsea got into her head?"

Ruby sighed. "Charlie, come on! Joey has given up _so much_ for you! Do you really think she'd turn her back on everything you two have been through?"

"It's hard to think about anything when someone like Chelsea rocks up out of the blue."

"Well if it's any consolation, I think she's got nothing on you."

Charlie smiled and threw her arm around her sister only to be startled by a door slamming.

"Hey!"

The two turned around to find an unhappy Joey storm into the room, stopping at the doorway.

"Joey… I was worried. What's–" Charlie stood up.

Ruby got up also, slipping out of the room to give them some space.

"What is your problem?" Joey questioned. "And don't pretend you don't know. I talked to Chelsea. What right do you have to threaten her?"

"I didn't–"

"Why, Charlie? _We're_ together! Isn't that _enough_ for you?"

"She pretty much told me she was in love with you! And that she won't be giving up on that! What am I supposed to think?"

Joey scoffed and rolled her eyes. "So, what? You think I'm just going to run off with her after she declares her undying love for me? Do you really think I'm that shallow?"

"No but–"

"How many times do I have to say that I'm in love with _you?_"

"Joey, I'm sorry…" Charlie took a few steps towards her.

"You know, the problem here is that you don't trust me. You don't trust me enough to have a friendship with someone I was only relatively close to once. Do you think I'm just going to jump straight into her bed because I used to have _feelings_ for her?"

"Joey, no. I just–"

"I don't want to be with Chelsea, okay? But she _is_ an old friend and I still want us to have contact. And I think you two would get along if you gave it a chance."

"I could never be friends with someone who's fighting me for you."

"She's not fighting you!"

"But she _is_, Joey! Why can't you see it?"

"This is ridiculous. I can't believe we're even having this conversation."

"I don't want to lose you…"

Joey paused. She could see how worried Charlie was. She couldn't understand why this whole thing was such a big deal and she just wished Charlie would trust her but then something hit her. She'd known Chelsea for so long. Could she trust herself around her? "Well you will if you don't trust me."

Charlie could feel her eyes well with tears as she watched Joey disappear in their room. She wanted to follow her. To tell her she was sorry and that she _did_ trust her but she couldn't bring herself to. The thing was, she _didn't_ trust her. Especially when she knew how persuasive girls like Chelsea could be.

Joey closed the bedroom door behind her, leaning back up against it and breaking down. She was attacking Charlie because everything she said was _true_. How could she expect Charlie to trust her when she couldn't even trust herself around Chelsea? But there was still a _connection_ there. They still had something. That was the thing that frightened Joey the most. Even just seeing Chelsea everyday would hurt. It would make her crave something she never got to experience. The same thing she had with Charlie. But why? Why would she want more when she had so much with Charlie already? Why couldn't anything just work out for her?

It had been about half an hour when Joey heard the bedroom door creak open and notice some movement over the other side of the room. She could tell Charlie was trying to keep the noise down so Joey rolled over, indicating she was awake.

"Charlie…"

"Oh, I'm just… I should sleep on the couch."

Joey sat up. "Don't be ridiculous!"

Charlie sighed and sat down on the bed. "I'm sorry, Joey. I just… I know what it feels like to try and fight against feelings."

"I don't have feelings for Chelsea."

"Don't you?" Charlie wasn't convinced.

Joey paused. She had to be honest. She had to come clean. About everything. She knew it was the only way their relationship would survive. "Okay. Yeah, maybe I do. Maybe I'm confused. I dunno. It's just that… Chelsea and I could never let anything happen back then. And now that Brett's out of the picture, she thinks we can have a chance. That we can now both have what we never could."

"I see…" Charlie stood up, not wanting to hear from Joey that they should break up. She couldn't bear it. She felt like she'd been stabbed in the stomach and no one was there to save her.

"Charlie." Joey grabbed for her hand. "I'm with you. That's what I've only ever wanted. And that's all I need, okay?"

Charlie tightened her grip on Joey's hand. "I don't know if I can do this though. Not when you have feelings for her…"

"So you wanna break up?" Joey's voice shrunk into a whisper.

Charlie let go of her hand. "I dunno. I love you and I know that I can fight for you but will it even be worth it in the end? I mean, you and Chelsea have a history… And she's gonna use that to get what she wants. And she wants _you_."

"I don't want to feel like this, Charlie…"

"I know. That's why I'm gonna make it easy for you."

Joey choked back tears. "Don't do this…"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Yes!"

"I'm only protecting myself, Joey…"

"Yeah!" Joey narrowed her eyebrows. "You're protecting _yourself!_ You're not thinking how this will affect _me!_"

"I'm not gonna fight a losing battle."

"Fine!" Joey shouted. "Obviously I'm not _that_ important to you that you can't even give everything to try and hold onto me! You won't even _try!_"

"That's because I know how it'll end…" Charlie moved towards the door, holding herself from releasing any tears. Hating herself for doing this. Hating Chelsea for bringing this upon them. "You're not a trophy, Joey. I don't want to have to compete for you. If Chelsea is willing to give you what you want, then she should be the one for you."

Joey couldn't even respond. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She couldn't believe Charlie was _doing_ this. She couldn't even feel her own heart beat anymore. She watched as Charlie left the room before she collapsed onto the bed, clutching the covers and holding them up to her chin. All that was left in the room was heartache and the sweet smell of perfume that Charlie had left behind.


	38. Chapter 38

Ruby to the rescue! Thankyou for reviewing and please keep reading :)

CHAPTER 38 FIGHT FOR HER

Charlie sat on the beach, her toes digging up the sand. She looked out over still water as tears slid down her cheeks. She'd made the biggest mistake of her life. She hadn't even seen Joey yet this morning and couldn't help but think how she was feeling. How she was coping after Charlie had been so horrible?

"Hey."

Charlie looked up to see Ruby join her.

"You should be at school."

Ruby placed her bag down beside her and smoothed out her dress. "I have another few minutes. You should be at work."

Charlie looked back out over the sea. "I'm not going in today."

"I take it the talk with Joey didn't go well."

Charlie looked down, playing with her fingers uncomfortably. "We broke up."

"_What?_" Ruby was shocked. She narrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "It's all over just like that? Why did she break up with you? Was it because of what you said to Chelsea?"

"I broke up with her."

"_Why?_"

"Because I had no chance."

"What do you mean you had no chance?" Ruby leaned forward to tried and catch Charlie's gaze. "You were already with her!"

"I can't compete against Chelsea. Look, just drop it Rubes."

"No I won't, Charlie! I finally get used to the idea of you and Joey and begin to actually _like_ you guys together because you're always so happy! Charlie, I love you and I know for a fact that you're not happy when Joey's not around."

"That's beside the point."

"No it's not! Joey's probably _gutted_ that you broke up with her and all you can think of is yourself!"

"Or she's run to Chelsea…"

"Would you listen to yourself? What kind of person do you think Joey _is?_"

Charlie turned her focus to Ruby, her eyes glossy from tears. "This is hurting me as well!"

"You're pathetic, Charlie. If you loved her then you'd fight for her."

"It's not that simple."

"But it is! You're still as gutless as you were before you were with Joey!" Ruby stood up and grabbed her bag, slinging it over her shoulder. "Running away when things got a little bit hard. If she meant anything to you then you'd fight for her. The Charlie I know and love wouldn't walk away when the going got tough."

Charlie watched her sister walk away at that remark, triggering something in her mind that told her she really _was_ gutless. Nothing had changed since she'd fought against her feelings for Joey. She wanted to believe that she'd grown in confidence since they'd gotten together but she knew she hadn't. Nothing in life was meant to be easy. Not even love.

Charlie smiled to herself at how wise Ruby was. How right she'd been about everything. She knew how much of an idiot she'd been to let go of the best thing in her life and she had to make things right.

Charlie found Joey down at the docks, her legs swinging beneath her as she sat on the edge of the platform. Charlie watched her for a moment. How could she let someone so beautiful go? How unfair had she been in this entire situation? She was saving herself the heartache by giving it all to Joey. Would she forgive her?

Charlie made her way to the pier when she saw a figure get there first and begin to walk down the platform, stopping for a moment beside Joey before sitting down. Charlie knew who it was. She held back for a moment, unable to make out their conversation from that distance. That was when she saw something she feared. Charlie took off, a slow jog turning into a run towards the pier. Chelsea was giving out all the signals. She was initiating it. She was leaning in. Charlie's feet thumped against the platform, desperate to stop this. Joey and Chelsea turned their heads at the sound of Charlie running down the pier. Chelsea turned back. She was going to do it regardless. She pressed her lips hard against Joey's.

"Hey!" Charlie reached them as Joey was pulling away. "What the hell are you doing with my girlfriend?"

Chelsea stood up, sensing the anger in Charlie's eyes. She smirked, happy to be getting a reaction. "She's not your girlfriend anymore. Remember you dumped her?"

Joey stood up at this comment. "Guys…"

"I told you to stay away from her!"

"Like you can tell me what to do!" Chelsea took a step closer, looking for trouble. "You can fine me for as many trivial things as you like but you can't tell me who I'm not allowed to speak to."

"I think you should get out of here." Charlie kept her voice steady and firm.

"Joey wanted that kiss just as much as I did."

"You bitch!" Charlie pushed her hard in the shoulder. "You want to fight me for her? Fine. She's worth it in my books."

"Guys, don't…" Joey had been standing on the sideline, growing more and more anxious about what she'd started.

Chelsea pushed Charlie back a little harder, indicating she was up for anything. That she was going to stand by her word that she'd fight for Joey.

Charlie looked to Joey, seeing the hurt in her eyes. Seeing something that told her to stop. That she should be the bigger person and walk away. A _fight_ wasn't worth it. Was it?

Chelsea pushed her again. Winding her up. Another short push in the chest set Charlie off. She shoved her in the shoulders and soon enough they were in a full blown scrawl. One that wasn't letting up anytime soon.

Joey tried to intervene, regretting even letting this happen. She tried to part the two and felt relief sweep over her when she saw Tony heading down the pier. Between the two, they managed to separate them and hold them aside. Chelsea looked fierce. She looked angry. Charlie just kept her composure. She wasn't letting Chelsea see that she was affected by this.

"What is going on here, girls?" Tony asked, completely baffled by the situation. He looked from one to the other and then set his eyes on Joey.

Charlie noticed Joey's shock and released her tension, relaxing everything and looking back at Joey in apology.

"Joey… I'm sorry."

Joey tried to smile. She couldn't though. She couldn't even _force_ a smile. What was Charlie sorry for? Was she sorry she'd picked a fight with Chelsea or for the break up? She had never seen Charlie like that though. She'd never seen her so angry to take something out on another person.

Tony let go of the two after sensing they'd both calmed down. Chelsea, of course, saw this as the perfect opportunity to strike. She lunged at Charlie and grabbed her roughly by the arm, pulling her towards the edge of the pier and not considering that Charlie would latch onto her. She sent Charlie over the edge, only to be dragged along after her, letting them both go sailing off the edge and into the water.

Joey gasped as they both hit the water, creating a splash that reached her and Tony. They peered over the edge and watched as the water became still until Charlie emerged, followed by Chelsea.

"What the hell!" Charlie was the first to speak as she swam away from Chelsea, grabbing hold of the ladder to the pier and dragging herself up out of the water.

They both coughed and wiped the water from their faces once they collapsed onto the platform.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Charlie coughed.

"You're the selfish bitch who only wants relationships to benefit herself."

"Guys, stop it!" Joey shouted, clearly unflattered by the bickering she'd caused. "When you both grow up, let me know!"

She shot a disappointed glance at both of them before heading off back down the pier.

"Are you girls alright?" Tony asked.

"Fine." Charlie snapped.

Tony nodded, clearly unimpressed with them both and headed after Joey, wanting to make sure she was okay and wanting to make more sense of the situation.

Charlie and Chelsea continued to sit on the platform, neither of them saying anything. They knew they'd been immature and that this wasn't the way to impress Joey. Charlie was worried though. How was she supposed to fight for her if not _physically?_ How was she meant to show her how sorry she was and how much she still wanted to be with her? Chelsea just infuriated her so much. She was too much competition. But she wouldn't give up. She had to win Joey's heart back, whatever it took.


	39. Chapter 39

Sorry I'm becoming a bit slow in updating… I've got a heap of uni work which has had to unfortunately take priority! Oh and this chapter's a bit crap I know, but meh. Try and enjoy it anyhow :P

CHAPTER 39 TRUST

Charlie came out of the shower after a clean off from the earlier incident to find Joey sitting on the couch. She stood up when she saw Charlie appear.

"Hey…" Charlie stayed where she was, not wanting to do or say anything until Joey had spoken.

"Hi…" Joey leaned on the leg of the couch as if trying to figure out something to say. "You know what you did to Chelsea was really lame…"

Charlie looked away and nodded. "I know. I know, I'm sorry. I didn't want to initiate a fight or anything but… when I saw her kiss you–"

"Exactly! _She_ kissed _me!_ I wouldn't do that to you, you know that. Even after what you said last night."

"I didn't even mean it, Joey. I'm sorry. I don't want to lose you… I was being selfish."

Joey nodded. "Yeah. You were."

Charlie took a step forward. "But I'm _in love_ with you. Do you blame me for being a little paranoid about Chelsea turning up and then hearing you announce that you have feelings for her?"

"Yes. _Feelings_. I don't even know what kind of feelings they are. Okay, yes she's made things a bit tough but that doesn't change how I feel about _you_."

Charlie paused. "Are you sure?"

Joey smiled and moved towards Charlie, taking her hand. "Yes. I just want to forget about last night. And this morning."

"Let's grab some lunch." Charlie squeezed her hand and Joey nodded. Chelsea had caused a lot of trouble between them but Charlie wasn't prepared to let Joey go. Their relationship was the best thing in her life right now and it was only now that she realised how a huge mistake like last night could change everything. How damaging it could potentially be.

Charlie and Joey entered the Diner not long after only to be seen by Chelsea who was seated at a table slouched over a caramel sundae.

She narrowed her eyebrows when she caught Charlie's eye, still fuming from earlier. When she saw Joey trailing behind however, her anger soon turned into something of hurt and disappointment.

Chelsea got up and made her way over to the two. "Joey, can we talk?" Her expression was enveloped by sadness and distress.

"Joanna!" Julie appeared from the kitchen with an apron slung around her waist and two plates of food balancing in her hands.

Joey turned to Charlie and sighed. "Could this day get any better?"

Charlie placed her hands on Joey's shoulders.

"Joey can we please talk…" Chelsea reached out to grab her arm.

"Mum, what are you doing?" Joey kept her focus on Julie.

"I got a job." Julie beamed with pride as Leah came out behind her.

"Leah, how could you give _her_ a job?" Joey narrowed her eyebrows.

"Joey, I didn't–"

"Don't blame Leah." Julie interrupted. "I just need some money to get back on my feet."

"But why _here?_"

"Give me a chance, Jo…"

"I don't believe this." Joey's glance shot between Leah and Julie and Chelsea. She rolled her eyes and sighed, taking off outside with Charlie and Chelsea in tow.

"Joey, it's about Brett." Chelsea's remark made Joey stop and turn around, her eyes flickering over Chelsea's face, waiting for more.

"Joey, let's just go…" Charlie grabbed her arm and tried to lead her away.

"What about him?" Joey's expression softened when she noticed the hurt in Chelsea's eyes.

"Please can we just go somewhere and talk?" Chelsea was pleading.

Charlie could see straight through the act though. She scoffed and took Joey's hand. "Let's go. She only wants your sympathy."

"Joey…" Chelsea's eyes were begging her. Drawing her in. Suffocating her conscience so that she couldn't even tell what was real anymore.

Joey nodded. "Okay."

"I thought we were having lunch…" Charlie cut in.

"Sorry. I'll see you later though, okay?" Joey stroked her arm but Charlie pulled away, annoyed. She shook her head at Chelsea in anger before storming off. How could Joey fall for such an act? How could she believe all of Chelsea's lies? Her mind was full of questions of disbelief but she knew she had to trust Joey. She had to trust her to do the right thing by her and if that meant trusting her to be alone with Chelsea, then she had to let it go.


	40. Chapter 40

Hopefully now we can all be happy :D Read on… And thankyou for reviewing, as always.

CHAPTER 40 ULTERIOR MOTIVE

"What's this about, Chelsea? I just… I don't want you interfering in my relationship with Charlie. I fought so hard to make it work so for my sake, please can you–"

They both sat down at a table outside of the Diner, mulling over their own thoughts. Joey knew she had to be stern.

"I can't keep doing this…"

"Chelsea, I'm not in love with you. Things have changed…"

"Can you hear me out?" Chelsea paused. "Brett… he paid me. A lot. He said he'd do recurring payments for me to break you and Charlie up. And he said he'd make my life hell if I didn't. I just… I'm sorry. I didn't know what else to do."

"What?" Joey's mind was swimming with thoughts and feelings. Why was Brett so desperate to break up her relationship? Why did he want to hurt her _so bad?_

"This is just… it's just hurting me too much to do it. Joey, I'm sorry…"

"How _could_ you?" Joey stood up, not even bothering to be reasonable. She could only brush the surface of what Chelsea did. Surely she had morals for that kind of thing.

"Joey I'm sorry, okay? But now I've told you, can't we just…"

"I want you to get out of town."

"Joey, I've got a job…"

"I don't care. Tomorrow I want you gone. You make me _sick_." Joey watched Chelsea recoil into her shell before taking off. She didn't know how she was meant to feel. She was angry at Chelsea for giving into Brett's threat but mostly she was angry at Brett for even coming up with such a disgusting ploy. How could someone despise their own sister _so much_ that they'd pay someone to ruin her life? It was monstrous. Joey couldn't understand how she'd trusted Brett for so long. And she now knew how one little thing could cause so much tension and hate in someone.

Charlie held Joey's hand tightly once they were both alone that night.

"I can't believe he did that…" Charlie watching her fingers lightly stroke Joey's hand before she pulled her eyes up to meet Joey's. "Are you okay?"

Joey tried to smile as she moved uncomfortably on the couch, turning to face the woman she could have potentially lost. "I'll be fine. I just… I'm just thinking of how close we came to losing everything we have."

"I know." Charlie nodded. "I can't believe it was all a _hoax_."

"I think she still cares." Joey said after a moment. "Actually, I don't doubt that she does. I know she never wanted to hurt me… It just feels like she did. Maybe I was too harsh."

"She still _chose_ to go along with it. She could've told someone he was threatening her."

"I know. I don't want to make excuses for her… I just don't want to think of her like that."

Charlie stroked the side of Joey's face. "Then don't think about it at all. Look, we're okay, aren't we? I think that's all that should matter."

Joey nodded and turned her face into Charlie's palm, kissing it lightly. "You're right. Hopefully Chelsea will just leave and we won't have to see her _or_ Brett again. I just want us to be left alone. We're not doing anything wrong."

"I know. If people have a problem with us then it's their business."

Joey smiled and looked down at their interwoven fingers, seeing how perfectly they fit together. "How is it that you always make me feel better?"

Charlie shrugged and gave a cheeky grin. "Oh, it's a gift."

Joey laughed and leaned forward, giving Charlie's lips a soft kiss before drawing her into a tight embrace.

"Now…" Charlie pulled away, keeping her hands on Joey's shoulders. "How about I run us a hot bath and we can continue this conversation on my 'gifts' in there?"

"Ooh." Joey smiled and nodded, raising an eyebrow. "You know how to please a girl."

"That's another gift I have." Charlie grinned and got up, grabbing Joey's hand and towing her to the bathroom, leaving a trail of schoolgirl giggles behind them. She turned on the taps and watched Joey undress, her only desire to hold onto their relationship with both hands and never letting it slip away.


	41. Chapter 41

I'm sorry this chapter is so terrible! I think I'm losing the plot a bit with the entire story so I'll seriously have to think about wrapping it up very soon. But thankyou for being such awesome and committed readers. You've been fantastic!

CHAPTER 41 SECOND CHANCE

"I can't go in there."

Charlie gave Joey a little push and watched her hesitate. Joey was still annoyed that her mum had taken up a job in the Diner. It was her favourite place to hang out… now it was as if she dreaded stepping foot in there.

"We'll just ignore her. It'll be fine." Charlie took Joey's hand and raised an eyebrow, a small smile breaking out on her face. She gave Joey's hand a tug.

"She just has to ruin _everything_, doesn't she?"

Charlie sighed. "We can go back to Leah's and have breakfast there, if you like?"

"It's just… now everything's so good between us. Now that Chelsea's gone."

"Yeah, I know." Charlie nodded. "I know."

"Why can't it be easier?"

"Hey…" Charlie placed her hand on Joey's cheek, reassuring her that everything would be okay. "It's nobody else's business, is it? Not your mum's, not Chelsea's… not Brett's. Come on. Let's be loud and proud!"

Joey couldn't help but give a little smile. The tables had turned. She remembered how she used to be the one brushing Charlie's doubts away. Now it was Charlie's turn. And Joey thought she was doing a darn good job of it.

"Okay." Joey gave Charlie a quick kiss and they headed inside, immediately seeing Julie standing at the counter. It was as if she'd been waiting for them. Like she was just _ready_ and waiting.

The two walked up to the counter, showing no fear or humiliation. And not feeling it either.

Joey tightened her grip on Charlie's hand. "We want some breakfast specials. And coffee."

"Joanna… I'm your mother. The least you can do is show a bit of acknowledgement?" Julie shifted on her feet, her face tense.

"If we don't get our food then I'll be complaining about your waitressing skills. Or lack thereof."

"Jo, come on…"

"Hey." Joey stopped Leah as she was passing by with some plates. "Can I grab two breakfast specials and some coffee?"

Leah looked from Julie to Joey with a hint of confusion in her expression. "Sure."

Joey and Charlie took a seat and tried to ignore the intent stares Julie was giving them. She wasn't letting up.

"I wish she'd quit with the staring…" Joey kept her focus on Charlie, sensing her mum's eyes burning through her.

"Joanna…" Julie eventually walked over. She wasn't letting up this easily.

"Mum, can you just go away?"

"Look… I get that you two are together." Julie tilted her head to the side, trying to catch Joey's gaze. "It's just weird seeing you _all grown up_. I've never had the chance to think of you in a relationship, with a job, living independently. It's a bit of a shock and I'm sorry about how I reacted about you two. Jo, I just want to be your mum again."

Charlie raised her eyebrows, not expecting this at all. She turned her focus towards Joey and not sensing a response, she gave her hand a little squeeze.

Joey looked up and eventually caught Julie's eye. "Who's fault is that?"

"It's mine, I know. I truly am sorry." Realising she wasn't being pushed away, she dragged a chair over and sat beside Joey. "Your father used to hit me too."

Joey snapped her gaze up. "What?"

"I know what he did to you, Jo. He did it to me too. Social services contacted me and asked me about your living situation. They just… they never followed it up."

"So… so you knew about it? Why didn't you stop him!"

"It was easier to leave. To escape it…"

Joey paused and looked at her mum in shock. How could she let her own daughter be abused? "Easier for you, yeah!"

"I'm sorry…"

"I don't believe this…" Joey went to get up but Charlie stopped her.

"As hard as this is, I think you should at least hear her out."

"I've heard enough."

"Joey…" Charlie pleaded with her eyes. "I see cases like this all the time at work. It's not unusual for–"

Joey snatched her hand away from Charlie. "Don't go all cop on me! I thought you'd be on _my side!_" Without waiting around for a response, Joey dashed out the door. Charlie sighed and got up, chasing after her.

"Joey, wait." Charlie caught up to her and took her arm.

"What the hell, Charlie! She's a _coward!_ She knew how he treated me and didn't do _anything!_"

"I know." Charlie held Joey's arms, keeping their eyes locked and forcing her to calm down. "I know, okay? I'm not saying that what she did was right in any way but I'm saying that I understand it. She was hurt too, you know? And I'm sure she'd give anything to take back what she did. We all make mistakes, Joey. God knows I've made enough."

"I don't… I don't get why you're defending her."

Charlie fell silent for a moment, letting her hands slide down Joey's arms and fall into her hands. "I just believe we all deserve a second chance. I made some bad choices in our relationship but you _forgave_ me and you gave me a second chance. No, you gave me more chances than I deserved. If you didn't then I wouldn't be as happy as I am now. Look, I'm just saying you have the power to make someone happy. I believe she's sincere, Joey. I could tell by the way she was looking at you. Hey… at least talk to her."

Joey looked down at her feet, taking in everything Charlie had just said. She could feel Charlie's warm hands stroke her fingers lightly, giving her that little bit of extra reassurance. She'd forgiven Charlie, yes, and she'd given her a second chance. Because she loved her. Because she couldn't bear to lose her. Maybe forgiveness towards her mum would bring her back. Maybe she _did_ want her mum in her life.

"You're right." Joey looked up. "Maybe… maybe I should just hear her out. I don't think I can forgive her but if I give her another chance then maybe we'll be able to work things out. I've missed her."

Charlie nodded, realising there was no need for words.

"Thankyou." Joey smiled and wrapped her arms around Charlie's neck, burying her head in her shoulder. She didn't ever think her mum would come back into her life so suddenly and maybe she was just angry at the fact that she never had a mother to bring her up through her teenage years. The most important years of her life. Perhaps a talk would help. Perhaps she could finally make sense of the past. Of an aspect of her life that she thought she'd lost.


	42. Chapter 42

Holla! Thankyou for your reviews, once again! Ugh at Home & Away at the moment. Has it been 3 months yet?? :( Anyhoo… I hope this story keeps you guys occuparlo in the meantime. Enjoy :)

CHAPTER 42 ACCEPTANCE

"You know, there was a time when we were a happy family." Julie sat across from her daughter when they'd caught up back at Leah's. She reached her hands over the table, wanting to hold onto Joey's hands. Wanting to feel like they could be intimate for the first time in their relationship. Joey didn't move.

"It was only after your dad lost his first job that he changed. When fishing became his main priority. When he wanted to bring Brett up exactly like him." Julie paused, feeling the heartache return. "When he wanted a punching bag when things got tough for him…"

Joey looked deep in her mother's eyes. She could see her dad and the anger he conveyed towards her whenever he needed someone to blame. She looked away.

"I'm sorry I left. I know I was a coward and I know it was horrible for me to leave you there. I don't expect you to forgive me."

"Did you love me?" Joey slowly turned her eyes towards Julie, allowing her a moment to process the question.

"Of course." Julie gave a small smile. "I've never stopped loving you. I may have missed a fair chunk of your life but that doesn't mean I haven't thought about you every second I was away."

"I had a job not long ago. A job I loved. But there was this guy…" Joey held back her tears. She'd tried so hard to repress every memory of that day on the boat, but as much as she wanted to, she couldn't forget what he'd done.

"It's okay, honey." Julie grabbed for Joey's hand, her hold tightening. "Brett told me."

Joey looked up. "What?"

"I know about Robbo. Brett's told me a lot more than you may think. And as much as you try to deny it, he really cares about you."

Joey scoffed. "As if."

"He does. Jo… He freaked out at the whole gay thing. So did I. Do you know how hard it is for a mother to find out her daughter's gay? It makes us feel like we've messed up somewhere. And the funny thing about that is it's true."

"It's not _your_ fault. I didn't decide to be gay when you left. It's just… always been a part of me."

"Exactly. That's a part of who you are and it doesn't mean I love you any less. The same goes for Brett. He's just worried, that's all."

"Worried? He _hates_ the fact that I'm gay!"

"No he doesn't, Jo. If you just talked to him then you'd figure that out."

"He won't give me the time of day. He kicked me out, abused me and Charlie and sent his ex-girlfriend all the way over here to try and break us up. If that's not hatred then I don't know what is."

"You know he would've done the same even if Charlie was a guy."

"What?"

"He's so protective of you it's not even funny." Julie cracked a smile. "He doesn't want you getting hurt. He saw the hurt Robbo caused you and he's seen the pain that relationships can inflict on people. Things can change so quickly, Jo. He just wants to know that you're okay."

Joey gave a sarcastic laugh. "That's the biggest load of bull–"

"He's your brother, Jo." Julie interrupted, leaning forward. "He would never hate you."

"I don't want to change who I am just so that I can have my brother back."

"Nobody's asking you to."

Joey didn't reply. She knew where Julie was coming from and she knew that Brett still cared about her. Okay, so he was a guy and hiding his feelings was only natural but she just wished that he'd show it. She wished he didn't flip out at her relationship with Charlie. Things could be so different…

"Listen. I can't say you being gay is the ideal discovery for me…" Julie paused, considering what she would say next. She just wanted to get into Joey's head. To find out everything she was feeling and every little secret that lurked in her mind. She wanted to know her daughter inside out. Like it was supposed to be. "But if Charlie makes you happy, then that makes me happy."

Joey smiled. A genuine smile. "She does make me happy. Happier than I've ever been. Mum, I really love her. I can't explain how I feel but I know that whenever I'm around her everything feels so perfect."

Julie looked down, a smile lingering on her face. "She gets my vote of approval."

"Hey…" Joey touched Julie's hand softly. "How about we go out for dinner tonight? You, me and Charlie."

Julie looked up. She found the smile on Joey's face that told her she wanted something more from this visit. She wanted her mum back. "I'd love that."

Joey got up and for the first time since she could remember, she embraced her mum. She felt the fragile frame her arms were wrapped around but felt the radiant glow beaming from inside her, indicating this moment meant more to her than Joey could imagine. She'd never thought she could be this close to her daughter again. That they could really smile at each other and actually mean it.


	43. Chapter 43

Thankyou for your reviews… you know they make me write faster! And give me the motivation. And make me feel good about my work. And give me a big head. Um… yeah, okay… enjoy :P

CHAPTER 43 POTENTIAL

It was about six o'clock when Julie spotted Joey and Charlie sitting at a table in the Diner. They were close, holding hands and giggling over something. Julie suddenly realised how real this whole relationship was and took a deep breath before making her way over to them.

"Hi." Julie stood a comfortable distance away and waited for acknowledgment before she moved any close.

Joey looked up, a smile still playing on her face. "Hey. Come, sit down."

Julie nodded and took a seat with them, looking uncomfortably from Charlie to Joey before casting her eyes down to the menu.

There was a slight uncomfortable silence before Joey spoke up, feeling like she had to be the one to break the silence. "So Mum… Um… where have you been living?"

Julie looked up. "In Melbourne. I've been living with my sister."

"Aunt Paula?"

Julie nodded.

Another silence. Joey was disappointed that there was no initiation from her mother to begin a conversation. She noticed how closed up Julie became and she sighed, wanting more. Wanting there to be comfort between the three of them. If Julie wanted Joey back in her life, then she had to accept Charlie as well.

"Hey." Charlie hit Joey softly on the arm. "Watson caught a guy exposing himself down at the beach this morning."

Joey laughed. "Serious?"

"He was clearly on something. Watson said she had to physically cover the guy's bits up herself. He didn't seem to be worried in the slightest."

"Wow. The bonuses of dating a cop." Joey raised an eyebrow and grinned cheekily. "I get to hear stories like this."

Julie looked up at this statement and then looked away, showing her awkwardness.

Joey sighed. She didn't mean to rub her mum's face in the fact that she was gay. She just wanted her mum to be okay with it. For her to say she accepted them both as a couple and _really truly_ mean it. "Mum. I'm sorry but we're trying to make an effort. And if you're really okay about me and Charlie then you wouldn't be making this night so awkward."

"I just feel out of place." Julie kept her voice down, finding it hard to look at Charlie. Finding it hard to piece it all together and come to terms with it. She felt _so fine_ about it all this morning after her chat with Joey but now seeing them together, and feeling the reality of it all made her feel insecure.

"Why?"

"Look, I should go…" Julie grabbed her bag and got up.

"Mum…"

"Honey." Julie placed her hand on Joey's arm. "I just don't think I'm ready."

When she was gone, Joey put her head in her hands. "I thought this was a good idea."

"It _was_ a good idea!" Charlie squeezed her arm, waiting for her to look at her. "Hey. She just needs time, that's all. We took time, didn't we? And look how good everything is between us now."

Joey sighed. "Yeah. Maybe I was just trying to rush everything. Do you think I've been pushing our relationship onto her a bit too much?"

Charlie shrugged. "Look, she'll get used to the idea. I don't think you were pushing anything."

Joey nodded, toying with the menu in her hands. Her eyes fell over the list of dishes.

"Just think. This gives us an opportunity to have some alone time." Charlie took Joey's hand and gave her a grin. "We haven't had any of that for… mmm… at least a day."

Joey gave a small laugh, her eyes catching Charlie's and their lips locking in a quick kiss. Charlie squeezed her hand. "We should just hang out tonight. Forget about everything and just watched some DVDs or something. Whatever you like."

"I'd love to." Joey smiled and then cast her eyes back to the menu. "But first I want a big greasy hamburger."

Charlie laughed. "My shout."

The two snuggled up on the couch when they arrived home. They had the house to themselves and had decided on a movie to allow some chill out time.

"Why did you become a cop?" Joey snuggled down against Charlie. Her eyes were kept steady on the TV and with one hand entwined with Charlie's and the other stroking her thigh; she pulled the question out of thin air, catching Charlie off guard.

After a moment's pause, Charlie rested her chin against Joey's head. "Why did you want to work on boats?"

Joey didn't hesitate. "Because I love boats. Does that mean you love catching baddies or did the uniform just do it for you?"

"Neither."

Joey waited for her to continue.

"Dad was an inspector so… I dunno. In some small way I just wanted to make him proud. To follow in his footsteps I guess."

"So you didn't want to be a cop at all?"

Charlie slightly smiled. "I've never thought about it. It was just always in my head that I was going to _be_ a cop. I didn't stop to think whether I wanted to do it or not."

Joey pulled away slightly and looked up. "Do you regret it?"

Charlie kept her eyes on the TV. "Sometimes."

Joey placed her head back against Charlie. "I think you should just get into what you love."

"I am." Charlie stroked her chin across Joey's hair and kissed the top of her head. "I got into this relationship, didn't I?"

Joey smiled and slung her arm across Charlie's middle, cuddling down deeper into her. She too was where she wanted to be. She just needed to work on her mum. Maybe Charlie was right. Their relationship had only worked on time so there was no reason why her relationship with her mum would be any different. There was room for definite potential there. They could both be happy again. She knew it.


	44. Chapter 44

CHAPTER 44 SUSPICION

Before the sun came up Joey crawled out of bed, careful not to wake Charlie. She slipped into her gym gear and headed out the door. She needed a run. She hadn't slept much that night because all she could do right now was think. Why couldn't everything just be perfect like it had been before her mum rocked up? Why did she have to even arrive? Why _now?_

Joey worked herself hard. She pushed herself along the beach, grains of sand kicking up behind her as she increased her speed. There wasn't a moment in time that she wanted to stop. She wished she could just keep on running and never stop. Like Forrest Gump. He had the idea.

Eventually running out of breath, Joey stopped and doubled over, clutching her side and sucking in air. She'd pushed herself way too hard. She wasn't used to this. She remained bent over for as long as she needed before she stood up straight, stretched backwards and pulled her hands above her head, stretching out the stitch she'd given herself.

Two figures up the shore a bit caught her eye. One was a beefy, solid man and the other a slightly smaller figure. Joey watched from a distance, not thinking anyone else would be out so early. She brushed it off without a worry though but before she could turn and leave, she saw the man swing a punch at the woman. Joey didn't hesitate as she took off running towards them.

"Hey!" Joey came closer. "Leave her alone!"

The man took another swing and this time it sent the woman falling backwards and collapsing against the sand.

"I want my money _back!_" The man stood over her and growled through gritted teeth. "You want money in advance and _you get it! _But when you don't follow through… well, you'll be the one paying."

Joey soon reached them and knelt down beside the woman, gasping when she realised who it was.

"Cheap slut." The man spat on Julie as she covered her face with her hands, sobbing uncontrollably. He shot her a look of disgust before turning and storming away.

Joey put her arm around Julie. "What the hell was that? Mum, talk to me! What's going on with you?"

Julie couldn't speak. She gasped through heaving sobs, the shame of her daughter seeing her like this overwhelmed her.

"He _bashed_ you, Mum! Come on! Tell me what happened!" Joey tried to catch her mum's eye but Julie wouldn't look at her. "I'm calling Charlie. This is abuse."

"No!" Julie snapped her eyes to Joey, petrified.

"Don't argue, Mum. He can't do this."

"Don't get the cops involved. It's nothing…" Julie choked out.

"If you're scared of what he'll do to you then don't worry! I'll tell Charlie you need protection."

"Just _leave_ it, Jo!" Julie snapped.

Joey forced a silence, keeping her eyes steady on her mum. "Then come back to Leah's. Please. I won't leave you like this."

"Jo, it's fine…"

"I want no argument." Joey pulled her mum to her feet and held her up, feeling how unstable she was since the incident. Whatever was going on with her, it'd shaken her up pretty bad. Joey just wished she knew what had happened. She wanted her mum to be open.

Joey had done her best to clean up Julie's wounds, hating how terrible she looked now that she could see her properly in the light. She'd reluctantly gotten Charlie out of bed but she was worried. She needed someone else there to make things seem less intense.

"What happened?" Charlie wrapped her dressing gown around herself and took a seat at the table.

"I shouldn't be here…" Julie went to get up. "If the others get up…"

"It's four in the morning. They won't be up for a while." Joey reassured her, pulling on Julie's hand.

Julie folded her hands in front of her, keeping her eyes fixated on the table before her.

"Mum, _please_. What's going on?"

"It's nothing, okay? Just a… disagreement. I don't want to press charges. I just want to _forget_ it!"

"If this guy is threatening you in any way, we can give you protection." Charlie said, leaning forward.

"Yeah, see?" Joey held Julie's hand tightly. "Can you just let me in? What was he saying about the money?"

"Money?" Charlie cut in, looking from Joey to Julie.

"Yeah, he said something about paying in advance and then mum not following through–"

"Just _leave_ it, Jo!" Julie pushed her chair back angrily, startling both Joey and Charlie. "This isn't even any of your business so just drop it!" Without a moment's hesitation, Julie rushed out the door, leaving the other two to sit in bewilderment.

"I don't get what's going on…" Joey choked back tears, continuing to see the image of her mum get bashed. Of her lying helpless in the sand.

Charlie had a sneaking suspicion of what was going on. She kept her thoughts to herself though, seeing how upset this whole incident had made Joey. She didn't want to hurt her anymore than she was.

"Joey." Charlie put her hand on Joey's arm. "Do you remember what the guy looked like?"

Joey shook her head. "No. Well, yeah. Kind of. I don't know. I didn't take much notice…"

"Anything, Joey. Anything at all you remember about him. I just need something we can go off."

"Large. Well, solid. A solid build. He had dark hair. I think. It was short and he had a long face. I dunno…"

"Hey…" Charlie got up and moved around to Joey, pulling her tightly against her. "It'll be okay. We'll get to the bottom of this."

Charlie hoped more than anything that what she suspected was wrong. She knew how much Joey wanted a relationship with her mum and Charlie knew that if she was right, if Julie was into what she thought, then the potential for a relationship between Julie and Joey would be crushed. Joey would be devastated and Charlie didn't want to see her hurting. Joey would be back to square one. All hopefulness for a relationship with a member of her family would be gone. And Charlie didn't want Joey's hope to disappear. Not again.


	45. Chapter 45

Hello all! Woww 300 reviews! Thankyou so much everyone for reviewing! They always encourage me :) Enjoy!

CHAPTER 45 CRUSHED

Julie's appearance hadn't changed. Charlie found her sitting outside of the Diner early the next morning, her head down and her shoulders hunched as if she was frightened and alone. So she ought to be, too.

"Julie?" Charlie approached her, sparing a moment before she had to go back into work.

Julie jerked her head up, clearly startled by Charlie's voice. When she saw who it was, she looked away again.

Charlie sat down. "How are you?"

"If you're here to talk about last night then you may as well leave again."

"Look… I understand that you're scared. He _needs_ to be punished for what he did to you."

"I don't want to talk about this."

"Why don't you want to see him pay?"

"Are you _deaf?_" Julie snapped, standing up and turning to walk away.

"I know your secret."

Julie froze. She turned her head slowly. "W… what secret?"

"We caught the guy who did this to you this morning. Johnny Barker. Ring a bell?"

Julie tried to keep herself contained. "No."

"Julie, come on…" Charlie got up and took a step towards her.

"Just leave me alone." Julie began to walk away, her pace picking up with every step. Charlie knew and she had to get away.

"Do you want to tell Joey or shall I?" Charlie raised her voice, speaking loud enough for Julie to stop and come back towards her.

"This is _none_ of your business." Julie growled, her voice low and menacing. She pointed her finger threateningly. "You breathe a word of this to Joey and you'll pay."

"You can't lay a finger on me." Charlie wasn't fazed at all. "Either you tell her or I will."

"She's not finding out about this. I'm not doing it anymore, _okay_?"

"I'm not keeping this from Joey."

"You're going to _crush_ her!"

"I don't want to tell her about this, believe me. She's been so determined to have a relationship with you again but I'm not the one denying her of that."

"Yes you _are!_" Julie ran her fingers through her hair, initiating a pause. "She doesn't have to know. None of this _needs_ to come out!"

"I've kept things from Joey too often in the past."

"We're only just beginning to get back on track! How _dare_ you take that away from me!" Julie shook her head in anger. "You can't handle the fact that you're not the only person in her life anymore!"

"That has nothing to do with it, Julie. My entire relationship depends on this. If she finds out that I knew and never told her, then we're finished. I'm not going to risk that. Not for you, Julie. Not for _anyone_."

"How selfish are you?"

"I'm not the one who made the mistake." Charlie didn't wait for a response. "I'll be home for lunch. If she doesn't know by then, then I'll be telling her."

Charlie watched Julie's distressed reaction before she walked away. As much as she didn't want Joey to find out about this, she had a right to know. A relationship couldn't be based on a lie. Charlie cared way too much about Joey to let that happen.

Work was murder for Charlie. She stared at the pile of paperwork sitting before her. How was she supposed to concentration when she had so much on her mind right now? She kept playing the scenario out in her head as to how she would tell Joey if Julie didn't. Should be beat around the bush for a bit first or get straight to the point? Should she act like she cared about Julie's feelings or be the tough one in all of this?

A knock on her office door snapped Charlie from her thoughts. She let out a sharp groan. "Yes."

Watson stepped in and raised her eyebrows at the paperwork still sitting on Charlie's desk. "Those reports won't write themselves."

"Look, I've just… got a lot on my mind."

Watson walked over to her desk. "Here's another to add to the collection." She placed it on top of the pile and watched Charlie rub her forehead.

"Everything okay?"

Charlie looked up and shrugged. "Yeah. Today hasn't been the best but I'll survive."

Watson nodded slowly. "Anything to do with Johnny Barker?"

Charlie grabbed a report and picked up her pen. "I should get started."

Watson shrugged and moved to the door. "Suit yourself."

The moment the door closed, Charlie threw down her pen and leaned back in her chair. She raised her hands to her head. How was Joey going to react? Charlie feared more than anything that Joey would push her away. She was either going to push her away or accept her support. Charlie prayed for the latter.

Charlie arrived home at one, having completed hardly any work. She knew she wouldn't be able to focus until Joey knew the truth.

Joey appeared from their room, shooting her a big smile. "Hey! Wanna grab lunch?" She approached Charlie and gave her a short kiss, only to be concerned by Charlie's lack of enthusiasm.

"What's up?" Joey narrowed her eyebrows, worried.

"Hello there!" The two were interrupted by Julie's appearance at the back door.

"Hey. Do you wanna join us for lunch?" Joey invited, completely oblivious to the hidden secret.

Charlie stood behind Joey, narrowing her eyebrows at Julie and trying to draw the secret out of her. Julie glanced back at Charlie and her smile disappeared, seeing now how serious Charlie was about this.

"That would be nice. Shall we go to the Diner?"

"Julie." Charlie said in a low voice.

Joey turned around and looked at Charlie. "That's okay, yeah?"

To Joey's surprise, Charlie shook her head. "Actually, no. It's not."

"It won't be uncomfortable again. I promise." Joey gave a smile only to have it not returned, finally sensing something was up. "What's going on?" She turned from Charlie back to Julie.

Julie bit her top lip, looking back at Charlie and pleading through her eyes for more time. She couldn't do it now. She didn't want to.

"Are you going to tell her, Julie? Or am I?"

"Tell me what?" Joey's shoulders sunk. Was she about to hear something she didn't want to hear? The more worried her mother's face became, the more she dreaded hearing what she was going to say.

"It's nothing, darling. Let's just get some lunch. We'll talk then."

"What's going on…" Joey's voice trailed off. She turned back to Charlie, her eyes desperately searching Charlie's face for answers. She only feared the worst. This was when Charlie knew she had to do it. Julie was such a _coward_. The longer this stayed a secret, the harder it would be on Joey.

"Your mum's a prostitute."

Joey spun around to face Julie, her eyes wide with shock and confusion. At this very word her entire world came crashing down.


	46. Chapter 46

Thankyou for your reviews, as always! They mean heaps to me :) Glad you're enjoying it and keep reading! :D

CHATER 46 A SAD REALITY

Julie felt her eyes well with tears when she saw the expression on her daughter's face. She tried to soften the blow by coming up with a quick clarification. "_Was_."

Joey couldn't find her words. She didn't know what to say. It felt like her heart had been completely _ripped_ out from inside of her. Her mother a corner hooker? Her own mother consenting to sex with dirty old men so that she could make a bit of quick cash? How long had this façade been going on for? She had so many questions she wanted to fire at her mum. She had so many thoughts spinning around in her head that it made her dizzy. She wanted to yell and scream and hurt Julie for doing such a thing but her entire body was frozen.

Charlie saw the pain shooting through Joey's body and she wanted more than anything to take it away. She didn't want to have to tell her but she knew it would've come out. Eventually. "Joey…"

At the slight touch of a hand, it was as if Joey was jerked out of a trance as she bolted for the door. She had to get out of there.

Julie ran down the beach after Joey, desperate to explain herself. To make Joey try and understand. Charlie was close behind. She needed to be there for Joey even if she wasn't so welcoming of anyone right now.

"Joanna, stop!" Julie caught up to Joey and forced her to slow down. She grabbed her arm, pulling her back.

"Don't touch me you sick slut!" Joey snatched her arm away harshly, tears streaming down her cheeks, making her swallow the pain her mother had inflicted upon her.

"Don't talk to me like that…" Julie's voice was low and shameful.

"I _hate_ you!" Joey shouted, pushing Julie roughly in the shoulder and sending her sprawling back against the sand. "You never came here to have a relationship with me! You came here to _hide!_"

Charlie raised her hand to her mouth, having never seen Joey act like this. She was hurting for Joey. She could almost _feel_ Joey's pain inside of her.

Julie got straight back up on her feet, trying again to console her daughter. "Please let me explain. It was never like that!"

"Don't even _try_ to justify what you've done! I never want to see you again! I never want to see your face around here ever again!"

"Jo…" Julie pleaded.

Joey turned to escape any more pain when she paused. "You know, I was excited to have you back in my life. I thought _finally_ we could be a family again. That maybe everything would be okay. But you had to ruin it, didn't you? You had to bloody ruin _everything!_" At this statement, Joey knew she'd said everything she needed. It wasn't everything she wanted, but it was what she needed. It was what was needed to inflict enough pain onto Julie for them to come a little closer to being even.

She shot the most disgusted, grievous glare at Julie before running off down the beach, escaping the hurt that would come with staying a minute longer.

Julie turned to face Charlie in a fit of anger. Pure rage. "I hope you're happy!" She shook her head and went to walk away when Charlie grabbed her.

"You need to face the facts, Julie. You were the one who messed things up."

"What I did was in the past!"

"That doesn't matter! I told Joey because I _love_ her. I knew it would hurt her but it would've so much more if she'd found out a lot longer down the track."

Julie had no response. She knew Charlie was right and she couldn't bring herself to fight the battle anymore.

Charlie watched Julie slink away, a million thoughts running through her head. Why did Julie have to ever lower herself to do that? Didn't she ever think of her kids and how they'd react? She needed to find Joey.

After about half an hour, a lot of searching and many diverts to Joey's message bank, Charlie eventually saw her sitting on a jetty a fair way down the beach. Her shoulders were sunken and there was no movement in her body. She was motionless and Charlie hated seeing her like this.

"Joey…" Charlie approached her, seeing her not move an inch. Not look at her. Not move a muscle. She kept her focus out to sea.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to tell you but I thought you should know."

No reply.

"Joey?"

Joey looked down at Charlie's determination to get her to speak. To open up. All she wanted right now was to be alone.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Joey forced a silence between them before getting to her feet.

"Joey, come on… I know this is a shock and–"

"I don't want to talk about it, Charlie!" Joey snapped. "I'm just so… _sick_ of _everything!_" She swallowed hard, staring at Charlie for a moment before taking off. Charlie watched her go. Was Joey sick of her too? Would this send her off the edge? Charlie only wanted to give her comfort but if Joey wouldn't allow it, what was she to do? She sighed, staring out at sea and telling herself Joey would come around.

Charlie realised just how bad a day she'd had when it came to the end of her shift that afternoon. She'd completed just one report and knew there'd be another pile for her the next day. All of this business with Joey and Julie was causing her to fall behind with her job. She needed to focus on that first and foremost but she couldn't help but worry about Joey. That's all she seemed to do lately.

She arrived home from work, being greeted by Leah who'd asked her what was going on with Joey. She'd said Joey had come home distant, snappy and distressed. Charlie didn't want to go into details but she promised Leah she'd fill her in soon enough.

Charlie slowly opened her bedroom door, immediately being confronted by quiet sobbing. Joey was curled up on the bed, her back to Charlie and her body shaking with every sob. Charlie knew it would only take time for her to breakdown. For the reality to hit.

She closed the door, watching Joey for a moment. Hating more than anything that Julie had made her feel this way. She could feel Joey's pain. It was like they shared a sense; that they were somehow connected in their feelings. Like Joey was now a part of Charlie.

Charlie kicked off her shoes and crawled across the bed, lying behind Joey and slinging her arm around her middle. She moved in closer when Joey grabbed her arm and pulled it tighter around her waist. Joey knew there was no better feeling than the security she felt when Charlie was near her.

Charlie pushed her head over Joey's shoulder and rested her cheek against Joey's neck, whispering in her ear that it would be okay. That she'd always be there for her.

"Why can't everything just work out?" Joey choked out between sobs.

Charlie wanted to give her an answer. She wanted to tell her something that would give her reassurance and hope. But she couldn't. The truth as it was, she honestly didn't know.


	47. Chapter 47

Once again, thankyou for reviewing! Okay, so I think it's coming very close to the end. Perhaps a chapter or two away HOWEVER I'm going to put forth a proposition- I will keep going if you would like me to. I could continue writing this story for probably another 50 chapters :P I can't say it will be overly as dramatic and exciting as previous chapters but I would do my best. So… let me know if you want me to continue or if you'd like to see the end. Have to keep my readers happy :)

CHAPTER 47 NEEDING THE COMFORT

Charlie could see Joey wasn't in any state to get out of bed the next morning. She hated everything that Joey had been through and couldn't understand why she'd had so much bad luck lately.

Charlie perched herself up on her elbow and looked down at Joey, her back still facing her and nothing there telling her she was in any mood to talk. Charlie had appreciated the fact that she wasn't being pushed away though and she knew that counted for something. She ran her fingers softly through Joey's hair and then crawled out of bed, heading out to the kitchen for some breakfast.

"Morning!" Leah shoved a spatula into the frypan and flipped an egg. She gave Charlie a smile, offering her bacon and eggs.

Charlie nodded and sat down. "Hey… sorry about Joey's mood yesterday."

Leah raised her eyebrows. "You don't have to apologise. I just hope she's okay, that's all."

"She just… found something out about her mum that's not overly pleasant. It's completely destroyed any hope of a reconciliation."

"Oh, that's no good." Leah dished out breakfast and then sat down beside Charlie, calling out to VJ to come into the kitchen.

"Yeah. She's not taking it very well and I don't know what to do."

Leah put her hand on Charlie's arm. "Just be there for her. That's all you need to do."

"I don't feel well…" VJ slouched into the kitchen, his hair all over the place and his face as white as a sheet.

Leah immediately made her way over to him, checking his temperature. "You're a little warm. Do you feel sick?"

VJ nodded, his face in a tight frown.

"We'll get you back to bed then and I'll call the school." Leah followed VJ out of the room just as Ruby skipped in.

"Morning sis." Ruby threw her bag down by the door and sat down in VJ's spot.

Charlie gave a small smile of acknowledgement before taking a sip of coffee.

"You alright?" Ruby grabbed a plate and sprinkled salt and pepper on her eggs.

Charlie shrugged. "I found out something about Julie the other day so I told Joey and it's completely devastated her. I want to help her but I just feel so guilty. I'm thinking now maybe it wasn't such a good idea to say anything…"

"Why, what is it?" Ruby asked curiously.

Charlie gave a tight smile. "It's probably not something that I should be spreading around."

"It's only me." Ruby persuaded.

Charlie hesitated but knew her sister wouldn't say anything. "Julie's a prostitute. Or _was_."

"_What?_" Ruby gaped.

"Yeah."

"Wow, that's insane. Poor Joey!"

"Do you think I should've told her?"

"Yeah of course! She would've hated you if she'd found out from somewhere else."

"That's what I thought…"

"Listen…" Ruby stuffed the last of her toast in her mouth. "The best piece of advice you ever gave me was to talk about things. I think you need to do that with Joey. Even if she doesn't respond, it'll show that you care."

Charlie looked at Ruby, knowing that she was right. So was Leah. Just being there for Joey was all she could do right now and quite frankly, that was all she really needed to do. Joey just needed company. Even if she didn't want to talk about it, Charlie knew that she could use a friendly shoulder.

"Anyway, I'm meeting Xave." Ruby got up and planted a kiss on Charlie's cheek. "Good luck!"

Charlie downed the last of her coffee and headed back to her bedroom, seeing Joey still lying in the same position, not having moved at all.

"Jo…" Charlie crawled across the bed, sitting cross legged beside her. She placed her hand on Joey's arm and stroked it up and down, sharing her presence.

"I'm sorry I had to tell you. But I love you and that's why I did it." Charlie paused. "Listen, I know you must think the world's against you right now. That you must've done something to deserve all this crap happening to you, but I _know_ that things can only get better from here."

There was a moment's silence before Joey slowly turned onto her back, looking up at Charlie with a tear stained face. Charlie's face fell the moment she saw the state Joey was in.

"How?" Was all Joey could manage to choke out.

Charlie tried to smile. She stroked Joey's face lightly, giving her all the reassurance in the world. "Because you have me."

There was a silence. Charlie hoped that this would bring new hope for Joey, just to know that she was going to be there for her. For her to know that she cared and loved her enough to stand by her through anything.

Joey grabbed Charlie's hand and sat up. "Thankyou," she whispered because that was all she needed to hear. Those few words made everything else seem completely unimportant, like the most important thing in her life was still right there for her.

Charlie smiled and pulled Joey into a hug, telling her that things would be okay. That she wouldn't _let_ anything else happen to her.

"Hey…" Charlie cupped Joey's face in her hands, wiping away her tears with her thumbs and speaking before she even had a chance to think about what she was saying. "Let's continue that trip we were taking. Get away from everything. With Robbo locked up we'll be fine. We should take a boat out for a while. A few days. Weeks. However long it takes. Just the two of us."

Joey looked down. "I dunno…"

"Hey, I can't drive a boat. And look… I'm going regardless so either you come and have some fun or leave me to perish on the seas." Charlie grinned cheekily.

Joey laughed for the first time in ages, hitting Charlie playfully. "Okay! Okay, I'll come."


	48. Chapter 48

Thankyou for your opinions guys! Looks like I'll keep going for a bit… I'll stop when I begin to lose readers :P Enjoy! Oh and sorry this one's so short… the next will be better, I promise.

CHAPTER 48 A PEACFUL EXPERIENCE

"When are you coming back?" Ruby hugged Charlie tightly, suddenly realising how insecure she felt.

Charlie moved Ruby's hair from her face. "I dunno. We're going to play it by ear. I thought you'd be stoked to get rid of me for a while!"

Ruby didn't smile. She was going to miss having her sister around and the security she gave her.

"Hey." Charlie pulled Ruby into another hug, realising the lack of enthusiasm Ruby had for her. "I'll be back. And when I get back I _promise_ we'll hang out."

"You said that last time…" Ruby pulled away. "And you never followed through with that."

"There's just been a lot going on…" Charlie knew Ruby was right. She hated herself for neglecting her sister so much and was annoyed that she didn't make time for Ruby like she should've. Like she wanted to.

"Yeah and so you just take off."

"Rubes, come on…" Charlie squeezed her arm. "Joey really needs this. She's had such a hard time lately, I just don't want her to give up."

Ruby sighed but nodded. "Yeah, okay. Make sure you call though."

Charlie smiled. "I will." She kissed Ruby and climbed aboard the boat to where Joey was waiting.

She leaned against the side as the boat pushed away from the pier and watched Xavier put his arm around Ruby, pulling her against him. She knew Ruby would be fine. She had Xavier and Xavier was good for her.

"You ready?" Joey asked as she turned the boat around.

"Yeah." Charlie stayed by the edge of the boat and waited until Ruby was out of sight. Ruby had almost convinced her that this wasn't such a great idea but when Charlie turned around to face Joey, she knew it was the best thing she could be doing right now. She knew it was the best thing for both of them.

Charlie wrapped her arms around Joey's waist as Joey kept her hands steady on the wheel.

"I promise this will be the best trip ever." Charlie said, pushing her head over Joey's shoulder.

There was a short silence before Joey pressed her cheek against Charlie's. "This is what I needed. I just… I don't think I could've taken much more. Who _knows_ what Summer Bay would've thrown at me next."

Charlie laughed. "Well, it's just going to be you, me and the open sea. No Robbo, Brett, Julie, Chelsea… No Hugo. None of that."

"I'm glad. Finally we can just spend some quality time. That's all I want, Charlie."

"Me too." Charlie kissed Joey's neck before taking their bags below deck and unpacking things. It wasn't an overly large boat. It gave enough space though. A double bed in the nook of the small room below and the essentials needed for a trip.

Charlie climbed back up through the manhole to where Joey was steering them further out to sea. Charlie saw land begin to get further and further away and suddenly felt a little queasy. She wasn't used to boats and being so far out from land.

She took a seat and looked away. "How do you cope with your first time away from land?"

Joey turned to see Charlie looking slightly white and heard the hint of fear in her voice. She gave a little laugh, indicating that it wasn't as terrifying as it could be. "It'll pass. In an hour or so you'll wonder what you were so worried about."

Charlie took a deep breath, shaking away the dizzy feeling. "I might just have a lie down."

Joey laughed as Charlie headed back under deck and lay down on the bed, closing her eyes and clutching her stomach. The steady rock of the boat as it dipped over each wave was slightly calming. Charlie relaxed every muscle in her body and listened to the water lapping the edges of the boat, a sound that Joey loved. A sound that Charlie knew she could get used to. It was seemingly peaceful and as she drifted into a light sleep, she knew how easy this would be to get used to.


	49. Chapter 49

Thankyou so much for reading and reviewing! Hope you enjoy this chapter… gotta love those mushy moments :P

CHAPTER 49 A RAW FEELING

Charlie awoke to a soft touch on her arm. She rolled onto her back and rubbed her eyes, seeing Joey kneeling down beside her.

"You've been asleep for ages. I was getting lonely out there." Joey grinned.

Charlie ran her fingers through her hair as she sat up. "Sorry. I didn't even realise."

"I didn't know you got seasick." Joey stood up and put her hands on her hips.

"Yeah, me either." Charlie swung her legs over the edge of the bed.

"Come on." Joey took her hand and led her back to the ladder. "There's gonna be a sunset soon. And it's going to be beautiful."

Charlie followed Joey up to the deck. Joey headed to the front of the boat and leaned against the rail. The sun was getting lower and they were headed straight for it. Charlie thought that if they kept going they might just hit the sun and disappear beyond it. She wrapped her arms around Joey's middle from behind and rested her head on Joey's shoulder. Joey stroked her fingers and turned her head for a kiss. She knew that soon enough it would be the perfect moment. There would be a perfect sunset, in a perfect place and with the perfect woman. How could life get any better?

"You know, I used to dream of the perfect person. They weren't real; just in my head. Some kind of soul or something. And I used to imagine myself with them. I used to imagine their touch and their smell. I used to think someone like that would only ever be in my head. That I'd never meet someone who would make me feel so good." Joey paused, looking down at Charlie's arms wrapped lovingly around her. She held onto Charlie's hands with her own. "When I realised I was gay, I got so scared. I thought I'd have to pretend to be straight just so that I could find someone. That I could experience a relationship. I just thought that gayness was so rare and that no female would go for someone like me. That the only gay women were either in denial or shallow."

Joey took a moment before she continued. Charlie's warm breath against her neck and her attentiveness encouraged Joey to reveal all of this. "When I first saw you my heart skipped a beat. There was something about you that made my heart race just that little bit faster. You made me feel like nobody had before. I thought to myself that I'd never have a chance with you. That you were no doubt straight and way out of my league even if you were gay. I didn't even go there. I knew I couldn't. Spending time with you though, it was hard to ignore how I was feeling. My feelings for you only got stronger and then when you… when you started giving me _signals_, I thought maybe, just maybe there might be something there. At first I thought it was all in my head because I never thought someone could ever share my feelings but then… then we kissed and that was when I realised wishes really did come true."

By now the sun was sinking closer down the horizon, reflecting a beautiful orange and pink across the sky.

Charlie kissed Joey's neck softly, her lips lingering for a moment. She moved one hand on top of Joey's and stroked her fingers, thankful that Joey had opened up. That their relationship was now strong enough that they could be completely honest with each other.

"You mean everything to me, Charlie," Joey said, her eyes completely fixed on the sunset. The beautiful shades streaked across the sky.

"Hey." Charlie tightened her arms around Joey's waist. "My bad run with guys must've been telling me something. It must've been a sign that I had to make a change. That I wasn't going to be happy until I changed something about my life. And then you came along and I've never looked back."

Joey smiled at Charlie's honesty. She smiled at the way Charlie made her feel warm inside. How she had just the right words to say to make everything seem okay. How she had the touch and the smell and the presence that Joey had only ever imagined.

"When you came to check up on me in the Surf Club after Robbo came along with his threats; that moment when we first saw each other, I knew we had a connection. Just those few soothing words you spoke carried so much reassurance. I can remember it so clearly."

"Me too."

"Hey, promise me something." Joey turned around, her fingers slipping between Charlie's. The way the sunset shone behind Joey was breathtaking for Charlie. She'd never seen Joey in such a way before tonight. Her rawness and honesty had almost stripped away a part of her, letting Charlie in to feel so much more of her than she even knew existed.

"Anything." Charlie replied, her eyes not leaving Joey's for a second.

"If anything…" Joey looked down for a moment and then pulled her eyes back up in Charlie's. "If anything happens between us… like, if we ever go in different directions–"

"Don't say that…"

"No, but if we ever do. Promise that we'll always be soul mates."

"Of course we will." Charlie smiled, kissing Joey's lips lightly. "I promise. And I promise not to stuff up our relationship either."

Joey returned the smile. "Me too."

Joey turned back around, the sunset now almost gone. She pulled Charlie's arms back around her, wanting to savour every minute of this perfect moment. Wanting the memory to be imprinted deeply in her mind. Wanting never to lose this feeling.


	50. Chapter 50

CHAPTER 50 FATE

Charlie wrapped her arms tighter around Joey, pulling their bodies closer together. It was a chilly night and the only warmth they had was each other and the doona that lay spread out on top of them.

Charlie knew Joey was asleep. She could hear heavy breathing indicating she'd already drifted off. Charlie dug her head into Joey's neck, thinking of how great this trip was going to be. How much closer it was going to make them. She also thought of Ruby and Hugo… but mostly of Joey. Suddenly this spontaneous idea of hers seemed like the perfect idea. She'd almost doubted it at the start but from experience, she knew doubts only led to regret. So many times she'd doubted and so many opportunities had gone passed, leaving a feeling of regret deep in her mind. How long could she have been feeling like this if she hadn't slipped into denial over her feelings for Joey? How many times had she told her they could only be friends? She kissed Joey's neck, reassuring herself that no matter how many doubts she'd had, none of them even mattered anymore. She couldn't dwell on what she had or hadn't done in the past. All that was done now and it couldn't be changed. Now she just wanted to live in the moment.

Charlie suddenly felt a slight tremor through Joey's body. Was she cold? Charlie pulled the covers tighter around them.

"No…" A soft voice erupted into the silence. "Stop…"

Charlie stretched her head over Joey's shoulder. Her eyes were still shut, her face twisting into an expression of pain. "Jo?"

A succession of whimpers followed forcing Charlie to shake Joey softly. "Joey, wake up."

Joey suddenly bolted upright, snapping out of her dream and breathing heavily.

"Hey, it's okay." Charlie sat up, stroking Joey's face in comfort.

"What the hell…"

"It was just a dream. It's alright."

Joey leaned back up against the wall and breathed out a sigh of relief, wiping her sweaty palms on the doona cover. She looked at Charlie. "Sorry."

"Hey, don't apologise. Everything okay?"

Joey crossed her legs, looking down at her hands. Charlie took them in her own, stroking them softly with her fingers, noticing the effect the dream had had on Joey.

"It's just… Robbo. He was… it was on the boat that he…" Joey let her voice trail off, swallowing a hard lump in her throat.

Suddenly it clicked. Charlie placed her hand on Joey's cheek. "It's okay. He's locked up and we're out at sea. Alone. I won't let anything happen to you."

Joey nodded slowly. "I know. I just… can't help but think about it. Just the boat… and…"

"How about I make you some tea and we can just sit up for a while? Just to get your mind off it." Charlie suggested.

Joey forced a smile. "Thanks."

It wasn't long before Charlie crawled back into bed and sat back against the pillows, handing Joey a mug. "Tea fixes everything."

Joey took a sip and then kissed Charlie softly. "No. You do."

Charlie smiled.

Joey set the mug down on her lap, wrapping her hands tightly around it and absorbing the warmth. "It was so real. Like it was happening again."

"You don't have to worry about it happening again. I _promise_ I'll never let anything or anyone hurt you. Not again."

Joey drew her eyes into Charlie's. "Do you think my mum's alright?"

Charlie was a tad taken aback by this question and she raised her eyebrows, not quite knowing how to respond. "Should it matter?"

Joey nodded. "Yeah. She's still my mum. I mean, I _hate_ what she did and I don't think I can ever forgive her, but she's still my mum. Do you think I was too hard on her?"

"Of course not. You did what anyone would've done in your position. She made a choice to get into prostitution. She has to accept the consequences for that."

"I guess."

There was a silence while Joey finished the rest of her tea. She placed the mug on the table beside her and snuggled against Charlie, wrapping her arms around her waist and setting her head on Charlie's shoulder. "Thankyou for doing this."

Charlie smiled. "Hey. What brought that thing up about your mum?"

Joey pulled back to look at Charlie. "Just thinking about how we got here. First Robbo, then Mum and Chelsea… it's all happened so that we could be like _this_, don't you think? Maybe all that stuff needed to happen for us to end up together."

Charlie moved the hair out of Joey's face. "Like fate?"

Joey shrugged. "I guess so."

"Maybe." Charlie kissed Joey's cheek. "Maybe it just happened because we fell in love."

"I still can't believe it…"

Charlie laughed. "Well you better get used to it because I sure as hell aren't going anywhere anytime soon."


	51. Chapter 51

Sorry this has taken me so long to update! Aren't I slack? Lol. Thankyou for your continued reading though :) But I actually think I will end it soon. I've lost a lot of readers and there's so many Charlie/Joey fics on the site now that this one's not so special anymore! I apologise to my faithful readers who want me to continue on forever but I think the time has come. I'll give you a couple more chapters to wrap it up though. Never fear! Until then…

CHAPTER 51 DRIVE ME CRAZY

Joey tied the boat to the pier, making sure the rope was secure. They'd pulled into a town at about midday the next day where they were to spend a couple of days. It was a touristy place with beautiful beaches, lots of shops and luxurious restaurants and accommodation.

"I'll lock up and we can go and check out some eating places if you like." Joey suggested, climbing back onto the boat.

Charlie nodded. "Sounds great." She stepped over onto the pier and watched Joey, smiling at how comfortable she was on a boat. At how knowledgeable she was about them.

"What?" Joey grinned when she saw Charlie's smile and stepping onto the pier she took Charlie's hand.

"Just you." Charlie shrugged, kissing her cheek.

They headed down the pier and came across a complex of shops and beachfront diners and restaurants. There seemed to be an influx of tourists as they navigated their way through the crowds. They checked in at a couple restaurants, eventually coming across one that wasn't completely full.

They took a seat in a booth and grabbed some menus.

"My shout." Charlie offered.

"You don't have to…"

"You got us here." Charlie grinned. "It's the least I can do."

Joey took Charlie's hand and then discreetly pointed to a guy who was behind the bar. "Tell me… does that guy look strangely familiar to you?"

Charlie turned around and gasped when she saw who it was. He gave her a grin and she turned back around.

"Who is it?" Joey asked. "Wait, he's coming over."

"Well hello there. I was wondering when you were going to acknowledge me." The guy stood over the table and looked between the two, his eyes resting on Charlie.

"Josh…"

"Josh?" Joey suddenly remembered. The guy at the bar in the city. His drunk mate and the way he'd sleazed onto her.

"Mademoiselle." Josh took Charlie's hand and kissed it in a gentlemanly fashion. "You didn't call. Then when I saw you come in, I thought you must've tracked me down. Am I right?"

Charlie shook her head and tried to laugh. "No. Pure coincidence. So… you live here?"

Josh nodded. "Yeah. Small world, huh? What are you doing here?"

"Oh." Charlie looked at Joey and then back to Josh. "We're just on a bit of a trip."

"Well, it's fantastic to see you again. Let me bring you some drinks. On the house."

"You don't have to do that…" Charlie tried to stop him.

"It's fine. Be back in a bit." He winked at Charlie and she drew her hands up to her head.

"_Did_ you call him?" Joey immediately questioned.

"What?" Charlie exclaimed, shocked that Joey would even ask her that. "Of course not!"

"It's a bit much to just be a coincidence don't you think?"

"Joey, come on. I haven't even thought about him since that night. I got rid of his number."

"Did you?"

"Yes!" Charlie paused for a minute and then leaned forward and stroked Joey's arm. "He's got _nothing_ on you, trust me."

Joey took a minute and then got up. "I'm going to the bathroom."

"Joey…" Charlie pleaded, hating that _Josh_ could come between them once again.

Josh made his way back over once Joey had gone. He placed some glasses on the table and sat down beside Charlie, grinning. "Maybe this is a _sign_."

"What do you mean?"

"That night at the bar, I knew we had a connection. Maybe this coincidence is a sign that we're _right_ for each other. Hey?"

"Ah, Josh, I dunno…"

Josh let his smile turn into one of disappointment. "You've got a boyfriend, yeah? I knew you wouldn't last long on the single market."

Charlie shook her head. "Well, no, but–"

"Oh." Josh leaned forward and placed his hand on Charlie's arm. "Then why didn't you call?"

"Get your hands off her." Joey suddenly turned up beside them, raging.

"What? I–"

"You haven't told him, have you?" Joey looked at Charlie. "Are you ashamed of me? I thought you were comfortable with this."

"Joey, of course not." Charlie grabbed her arm.

"Well, we're together." Joey glared down at Josh. "Or we're meant to be, anyway."

With that, Joey slung her backpack over her shoulder and stormed out.

Charlie shot Josh a sympathetic smile before running out after Joey, not wanting to stick around to explain anything.

"Joey, come on. Stop…" Charlie caught up to her and pulled her to a halt.

"You know, I thought we got passed the _shame_."

"It's not like that! I just didn't get a chance to say anything."

"You didn't get a chance or you didn't want to?"

"Why are you doing this?" Charlie's eyes were pleading.

Joey looked away. "He's already come between us."

"Joey, _I love you_."

"So this has nothing to do with the fact that he can offer you more?"

Charlie forced a laugh. "No. He can't offer me your love and that's all I want."

Joey relaxed, taking a deep breath. "Okay, sorry… Insecure moment, that's all. It's just seemed like a pretty weird coincidence that's all."

"You don't have to worry." Charlie moved the hair out of Joey's face. "I'm right where I want to be."

Joey nodded.

"Now, can we just go back and enjoy our meal? Please?"

"Promise you'll only have eyes for me?"

"I won't even _look_ at Josh." Charlie held out her hand and waited for a response. Joey smiled and took it, interlocking their fingers.

"You drive me crazy." Charlie squeezed Joey's hand, indicating she was just joking around.

"It's what I do best."


	52. Chapter 52

Okay guys, I know I didn't give any warning but this is the **FINAL CHAPTER!** I'm really sorry that it's ended so suddenly but I wanted to end it up with some good old fashioned mush and I thought this would just about do it!

Now, I'm totally devastated to hear that Joey will not be returning to H&A so this may just motivate me to write another Jarlie fic! Hm, unless I can con the producers into replacing me as Joey :P (I wish!)

So I want to thank you all for reading my story and for all your beautiful reviews! You guys are the BEST! Don't forget the name xxComplicated because I won't be going away! Watch out for more in the future :)

I hope you enjoy the final chapter! Cheers.

CHAPTER 52 THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING IN THE WORLD

Josh kept his distance for the rest of Charlie and Joey's meal, still surprised by what he'd heard. He didn't want to interfere though, he knew better than that. And Charlie saw that he was a good guy. She worried about Joey though. If she spoke to him, how was Joey going to react? She took it upon herself not to initiate any conversation. She didn't want to go through another tiff like earlier.

They finished their meals and headed off, Charlie giving Josh a small apologetic smile as they left the restaurant.

She took Joey's hand. "You're cool about earlier, yeah?"

"Yeah, of course."

"You just haven't said a lot since then. I honestly didn't know he lived here."

"It's fine!" Joey laughed. "I'm just tired. It's been a long day."

"So we should book into a motel then." Charlie grinned and nudged Joey. "And we can have a long, hot shower then snuggle in _luxury_."

"Are you saying the boat wasn't luxurious?" Joey joked.

"Okay, it was nice for a while. But I don't think I could live on a boat."

"High maintenance. If only I'd known…" Joey teased, trying to suppress a grin.

When they'd gathered up their luggage, Charlie and Joey went on the search for some accommodation. It wasn't going to be easy. They tried two motels only to be turned away as they were fully booked. The third one they came to wasn't as luxurious as Charlie had hoped, but it had the essentials. And it had spare rooms.

They loaded their things into the room and Joey collapsed onto the bed. "I can't wait to just _chill out_. I've needed a break like this for so long."

Charlie sat down beside her and kicked off her shoes. "Me too. I hope it's a little more accommodating than our last attempt though."

Joey sat up. "I'm sure it will be. We've just had a run of bad luck. I don't think things could really get much worse then what we've been through. Can they?"

"Let's hope not. How about we just enjoy it? And stay out of trouble." Charlie grinned.

"If that _Josh_ stays away, then we should be fine."

"Either way, you don't have to worry. He's not the one I want to sleep with tonight." Charlie smiled and kissed Joey lovingly. "Or ever."

Joey shrugged and grinned, pretending to be nonchalant about it. "Yeah, okay. Fair enough."

"Right now though, I'd love a hot shower. What do you say?" Charlie stood up and held out her hands.

Joey took them. "You're on."

Joey stepped in behind Charlie and pushed her arms around her middle, letting the warm water gush over them. It was as if all the lies, the betrayal, the complications they'd had were being washed away. Like tonight was going to be a fresh start for them.

Joey began to massage the body wash into Charlie's skin, her hands gliding over her back and down her arms like it was the most natural thing in the world. She let her hands fall down the front of Charlie, over her breasts and down across her stomach. Charlie felt like she couldn't breathe. She loved the way Joey made her feel and any sense of insecurity or doubt that she ever had, or would ever have again, seemed like the most inconceivable thing right now.

She turned into Joey, her lips sailing down Joey's neck and onto her collarbone. Her hands finding their way down Joey's back, exploring every contour of her body, not for a second missing out on any single inch of her. Joey let out a soft groan, pushing Charlie against the shower wall, water splashing over them and Joey fighting against Charlie's lips with her own. Their passionate moment sending fireworks off in Joey's head, her heart racing faster. She wanted more of Charlie.

Charlie didn't hold back. She'd learnt her lesson from being too reserved. Too standoffish. She's missed too many opportunities and she felt like she needed to make up for them. Her hands dived into Joey's hair, pushing her fingertips through, finding Joey's tongue with her own and feeling the passion that Joey expelled. Nothing had ever felt so good. Not for either of them. Not ever.

Now dressed, Joey followed Charlie out into the bedroom and sat down on the edge of the bed. Charlie smiled and pushed her fingers up through Joey's damp hair and brought them down, playing with the tips while finding something to say.

"You're amazing." Joey bet her to words.

Charlie smiled and looked down, moving closer and placing her hand on Joey's thigh. "Only when I'm with you."

Joey knew that was all they needed to say. She crawled under the covers and was soon joined by Charlie. They contoured their bodies; fixed themselves together in a way that made them both feel safe and secure. Charlie ran her hand gently along Joey's arm, looking deeply into her eyes, losing herself in them. She saw the woman she loved. The one she wanted to always wake up to. The one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. And she didn't care what anyone else thought. She knew herself that when you felt this way, it was meant to be.

Joey knew how lucky she was. She knew how much she'd risked to be right here right now. She knew the sacrifices Charlie had made just so that they could be happy. She knew she could never take Charlie for granted. There was too much to lose. Too many good times that would be lost if she let anything happen.

They both eventually closed their eyes, completely satisfied that they'd imprinted each other in their mind. And they knew that when they'd wake up, they'd see each other again and that it would be the most beautiful thing in the world.


End file.
